Sviatoslav Richter
Having learned the fundamentals of music from his father, Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter taught himself the piano and had already given public concerts before entering the Moscow Conservatory in 1937. While still a student, Richter won first prize at the All-Union Contest of Performers of 1945. His playing earned him considerable renown, and by the time of his graduation in 1947 he had devoted fans. In 1949 he garnered the coveted Stalin Prize.
Richter gave the 1942 premiere of Sergey Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 6 -- the composer's first work in that form for years, and the first one he did not premiere himself. This resulted in wild acclaim for both performer and composer. Thereafter, Richter was a great proponent of Prokofiev's music, premiering also the Seventh and the Ninth Sonatas, the latter of which is dedicated to him.
Though word of Richter's excellence (and occasional poor-quality recordings) had spread outside of Russia, his foreign engagements were limited to Eastern Bloc countries (and, in one case, China) where Soviet officials felt there was reduced risk of defection. However, his 1958 performance of Prokofiev's Fifth Piano Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra (on tour in Leningrad) generated such excitement that he was finally permitted to tour the United States, further bolstering his reputation as a virtuoso. Engagements in all of world's musical centers followed. Richter was known as a pianist of transcendent abilities, particularly adept at highlighting the nuances of different styles. Though his interests focused primarily on music of Beethoven, and Prokofiev, he was also highly regarded for his Schubert, Schumann, Bach, Debussy, and Ravel; and in the early 1960s he made a memorable recording of Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto with the composer conducting.
Richter did not favor studio recordings; therefore, most of his recordings are from live performances. Many of them, particularly those from Soviet concerts, suffer from indifferent sound quality and excessive audience noise, but his playing had an electric quality that transcended these handicaps.
The pianist earned a reputation for being difficult and aloof. He was notoriously apt to cancel performances on whims, or arrive late without explanation or apology. However, those who heard him were rarely disappointed. He preferred intimate concert settings over big auditoriums, and thus returned many times to the Aldeburgh and Spoleto Festivals. He was the centerpiece of the Fêtes Musicales, held annually beginning in 1964 at Grange de Meslay, near Tours.
Among his greatest recordings are his Schubert sonatas, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev concertos, Liszt concertos (these have the benefits of first-rate sound), and his Schumann. He has also served as a chamber musician and accompanist, playing piano duets with Britten, and accompanying Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, among others.
© All Music Guide /TiVo
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Live in Duszniki-Zdroj, 10.08.1965 (Live)
Classical - Released by JSC Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Mar 9, 2021
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Brahms & Liszt: Works (Live)
Sviatoslav Richter, Borodin Quartet, London Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin
Classical - Released by Russian Compact Disc on Oct 15, 2021
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Sviatoslav Richter Edition, Vol. 5
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on Jan 1, 2015
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The Russian Piano Tradition: The First Soviet Recordings (Recorded 1947-1955)
Classical - Released by APR on May 1, 2007
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Live in London, 02.02.1963 (Live)
Classical - Released by JSC Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Mar 10, 2021
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The masters of music
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Jan 11, 2020
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Sviatoslav Richter 100, Volume 10 (Live)
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on Jan 1, 2015
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Live in Bonn, 30.10.1994 (Live)
Classical - Released by JSC Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Mar 9, 2021
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Sviatoslav Richter 100, Volume 19 (Live)
Sviatoslav Richter, Oleg Kagan, Natalia Gutman
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on Jan 1, 2015
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Schumann: Fantasia in C Major, Op. 17: I. Il tutto fantastico ed appassionato
Classical - Released by The state51 Conspiracy Ltd on Apr 3, 2020
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Schumann: Fantasia in C Major, Op. 17: II. Moderato con energia
Classical - Released by The state51 Conspiracy Ltd on Apr 3, 2020
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Bach: Trio Sonata No. 4: Beethoven: Sonatas No. 7, No. 13 & No. 30
Ivan Sokol, Sviatoslav Richter, Miklas Skuta, Daniela Ruso
Classical - Released by Firefly Entertainment on Jun 1, 2013
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Beethoven: Sonatas No. 7 and No. 29
Sviatoslav Richter, Miklas Skuta
Classical - Released by Firefly Entertainment on Jun 1, 2013
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Classical - Released by Past Classics on Oct 1, 2009
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Works For Piano
Classical - Released by Ina Archives on Jan 31, 2012
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Beethoven Sonata No 3
Classical - Released by Best Buy Classical on Apr 4, 2012
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Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter, George Georgescu, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Electrecord.com on Oct 6, 2017
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Sviatoslav Richter in the 1950s, Vol. 7
Classical - Released by Parnassus on Jan 14, 2014
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Richter plays Beethoven & Mozart
Classical - Released by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Jan 1, 1977
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100+ Piano Classical Essentials
Classical - Released by Unchained Melodie on Jan 1, 2012
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Greatest Solo Piano Essentials
Classical - Released by Unchained Melodie on Oct 1, 2011
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