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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J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 & 2, BWV 846-893
Clásica - Editado por Russian Compact Disc el 6 ene. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Recital - Live at Carnegie Hall, October 25, 1960
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 27 oct. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Music for Cello and Piano
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Sonatas Nos. 22 & 23: Classic Library Series
Clásica - Editado por RCA Red Seal el 17 may. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Cello Sonatas
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 oct. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter Plays Bach
Clásica - Editado por Stradivarius el 1 ene. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition by Sviatoslav Richter at Sofia
Clásica - Editado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording el 11 ene. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37 & Andante favori, WoO 57
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 ene. 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt : Les deux concertos pour piano - Schubert: Sonate, D. 850 (Diapason n°605)
Sviatoslav Richter / London Symphony Orchestra / Kiril Kondrachine
Música concertante - Editado por Les Indispensables de Diapason el 25 abr. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Music - including The Seasons
Clásica - Editado por Musical Concepts el 1 ene. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Masterpieces: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vol. II (Recordings of 1951 - 1959)
Sviatoslav Richter, Eugene Ormandy, Moura Lympany
Clásica - Editado por Masterpieces el 1 abr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter plays Schubert Sonatas 19 & 21
Clásica - Editado por Musical Concepts el 18 may. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Quintet Op.34 & Franck: Piano Quintet
Sviatoslav Richter, Borodin Quartet, Bolshoi Theatre Quartet
Clásica - Editado por Musical Concepts el 22 dic. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 8 & 16
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Grieg: Piano Sonatas
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Sviatoslav Richter
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 ene. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter The Master - Bach
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Master Pianist
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 8 sep. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Piano Concerto; Violin Concerto
Mark Lubotsky, Sviatoslav Richter, English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg & Schumann: Piano Concertos
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 3 feb. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 28 jul. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live and Studio Recordings for RCA and Columbia
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 2 ene. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo