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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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 1 & 7
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 28.06.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter - The Piano Concertos 1950-55
Klassik - Erschienen bei Andromeda am 02.04.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Wanderer Fantasie, D. 760 & Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Plays Piano Masterpieces
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 09.01.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart & Beethoven: Sviatoslav Richter
Klassik - Erschienen bei Live Classics am 27.03.1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas: Appassionata & Pathetique - Piano Concerto No. 3 - Bagatelle - Choral Fantasy
Sviatoslav Richter, Hermann Abendroth, Kurt Sanderling, Ussr Symphony Orchestra, USSR RTV Large Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Mangora Classical am 02.07.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 12, 17, 22, 13 (includes 'Funeral March' 'Tempest' 'Appassionata')
Klassik - Erschienen bei Musical Concepts am 18.11.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Recital
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca (UMO) am 01.01.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Young Richter Live, Vol. 4
Klassik - Erschienen bei Parnassus am 14.05.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Cello Sonatas 1,3,5
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Klassik - Erschienen bei Universal Music Ltd. am 01.01.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter Archives, Vol. 9: Moscow 1974 Recital (Live)
Klassik - Erschienen bei DOREMI am 01.01.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin, Debussy & Ravel: Out of Later Years, Vol. III
Klassik - Erschienen bei Live Classics am 09.03.1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky by Sviatoslav Richter: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op.23 (Remastered 2021)
Sviatoslav Richter, Evgueni Mravinski
Klassik - Erschienen bei Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording am 20.09.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No.2; Piano Concerto No.3
Sviatoslav Richter, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Kurt Sanderling
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter Archives, Vol. 14: Mozart Piano Concertos (Live)
Sviatoslav Richter, Rudolf Barshai, Moscow Chamber Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei DOREMI am 01.01.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter The Master - 20th Century Piano Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 30-32 (Live)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Artemisia am 11.12.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. 310, K. 533 & K. 545 by Sviatoslav Richter
Klassik - Erschienen bei Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording am 30.04.2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Richter plays Beethoven Vol.2
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4
Sviatoslav Richter, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Klassik - Erschienen bei Musical Concepts am 26.02.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Svyatoslav Richter
Klassik - Erschienen bei Gramzapis Company am 01.01.2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo