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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Sviatoslav Richter Recital - Live at Carnegie Hall, October 25, 1960
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 27 de out. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Music for Cello and Piano
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de jan. de 1994
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Sonatas Nos. 22 & 23: Classic Library Series
Classical - Lançado por RCA Red Seal em 17 de mai. de 2004
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Cello Sonatas
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de out. de 1963
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter Plays Bach
Classical - Lançado por Stradivarius em 1 de jan. de 1992
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition by Sviatoslav Richter at Sofia
Classical - Lançado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording em 11 de jan. de 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37 & Andante favori, WoO 57
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1978
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt : Les deux concertos pour piano - Schubert: Sonate, D. 850 (Diapason n°605)
Sviatoslav Richter / London Symphony Orchestra / Kiril Kondrachine
Concertos - Lançado por Les Indispensables de Diapason em 25 de abr. de 2011
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Music - including The Seasons
Classical - Lançado por Musical Concepts em 1 de jan. de 1993
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter plays Schubert Sonatas 19 & 21
Classical - Lançado por Musical Concepts em 18 de mai. de 2010
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Quintet Op.34 & Franck: Piano Quintet
Sviatoslav Richter, Borodin Quartet, Bolshoi Theatre Quartet
Classical - Lançado por Musical Concepts em 22 de dez. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 8 & 16
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de jan. de 1990
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Grieg: Piano Sonatas
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Sviatoslav Richter
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1995
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter The Master - Bach
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de jan. de 1993
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Master Pianist
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 8 de set. de 2008
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Piano Concerto; Violin Concerto
Mark Lubotsky, Sviatoslav Richter, English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de jan. de 1971
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg & Schumann: Piano Concertos
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 3 de fev. de 2003
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 28 de jul. de 2023
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: The Two Piano Concertos/The Piano Sonata
Sviatoslav Richter, London Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de jan. de 1961
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23 & 12
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 1 de jan. de 2004
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Piano Sonatas
Solo Piano - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 1 de dez. de 1992
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo