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
-
Richter Plays Schubert (Live)
Clásica - Editado por JSC Firma Melodiya el 17 abr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 & Diabelli Variations
Clásica - Editado por Praga Digitals el 1 sep. 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Plays Prokofiev
Clásica - Editado por Musical Concepts el 29 sep. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter Plays Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Ravel - Live at Mosque Theatre (December 28, 1960)
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 5 ene. 2015
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 15 ene. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas
Clásica - Editado por Regis Records el 1 ene. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert Schumann: Symphonic Studies, Fantasie Op. 17 & Faschingsschwank aus Wien
Clásica - Editado por Praga Digitals el 1 abr. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Pianist Of The Century (Complete DG Solo / Concerto Recordings)
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier (Books I & II, Complete)
Clásica - Editado por Musical Concepts el 14 oct. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Piano Concerto; Introduction & Allegro appassionato; Waldszenen
Sviatoslav Richter, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanislaw Wislocki, Witold Rowicki
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sviatoslav Richter plays Liszt & Chopin
Clásica - Editado por Profil el 17 ago. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2, Variations on a Hungarian Song & Klavierstücke
Clásica - Editado por Praga Digitals el 1 jun. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 5 "Spring", No. 6 & No. 9 "Kreutzer"
David Oïstrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Frida Bauer
Música de cámara - Editado por Praga Digitals el 1 feb. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák: Piano Concerto. Schubert: Fantasy in C Major D760 'Wanderer'
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 ene. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin / Liszt / Mussorgsky / Schubert: The Sofia Recital 1958
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 2000
Discoteca Ideal Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Winterreise/Piano Sonata in C, D840
Peter Schreier, Sviatoslav Richter
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene. 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert : Fantasy for Piano Duet - Grand Duo (Live)
Sviatoslav Richter, Benjamin Britten
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 20 jun. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 - Chopin: Etudes and Polonaise
Clásica - Editado por Supraphon a.s. el 18 ene. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Op. 109, 110, 111 by Sviatoslav Richter
Clásica - Editado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording el 3 mar. 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto K. 466 / Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3; Rondo WoO. 6
Sviatoslav Richter, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanislaw Wislocki, Wiener Symphoniker, Kurt Sanderling
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1; Variations on a Rococo Theme
Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Wiener Symphoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo