# Sviatoslav Richter



## Op.123

Apologies if this has been done before
Richter, based on the polls, seems very popular around here so what are your thoughts on this pianist?


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## Op.123

Some of my favourites
Bach - Italian concerto, piano concerto no. 1 (Talich), fantaisie & fugue
Beethoven - piano concertos 1 (Bakala) & 5 (Muti), piano sonatas 1, 7 & 17
Brahms - piano concerto 2 (Maazel)
Chopin - ballade 3
Dvorak - piano concerto (Klieber)
Glazunov - piano concerto 1 (Kondrashin)
Grieg - piano concerto (Matacic)
Liszt - piano concerto 1 (Kondrashin)
Mozart - piano concertos 20 (Wislocki) & 22 (Muti)
Rimsky-korsakov - piano concerto (Kondrashin)
Saint-saens - piano concerto 5 (Kondrashin)
Schubert - wanderer fantasy, piano sonata no. 13
Schumann - piano concerto (Matacic), fantasy, waldszenen, introduction and allegro appassionato (Wislocki), faschingsschwank aus wien, humoresque, papillons, toccata
Tchaikovsky - piano concerto 1 (Karajan)


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## oogabooha

His recording of the WTC is so fantastic. It's been criticized for being played "like a romantic piece", but that's just how I like it


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## DavidA

Richter always had something to say about what he played. He never played pieces he could not feel he could get on with. When Shostakovich once asked him why he didn't play some of his preludes and fugues, Richter replied, "Why should I play those I don't like?" Of course, Richter wasn't to everyone's taste in everything. But he could be positively mesmeric, especially in concert. Sadly the one time I was going to hear him in concert he cancelled!


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## PetrB

I am not one who can rattle off the names of all the great pianists of yore, but can tell you that Richter, along with Gilels, (I hope someone will name the others) was one of the last of the "Grand" school of playing. This was not just about size of tone, power, etc. but also very much about musicians who can render large-scale pieces (especially) and support, beginning to end, the overall architecture of those structures as well. Here, in this instance, is an apposite use of describing something as _epic._

There is a searing white hot musical intelligence to just about all he rendered.

That said, I've never cared for Richter's Chopin. Nearly all else, from Beethoven to Debussy, Prokofiev, he was a supremely fine _musician_. The legacy, the recordings we have, are all greatly outstanding.


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## KenOC

PetrB said:


> ...but can tell you that Richter, along with Gilels, (I hope someone will name the others) was one of the last of the "Grand" school of playing.


Sadly, Richter seems to have largely avoided Beethoven's music except for some signature pieces. But Gilels made up for it with an incredible sonata almost-cycle.


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## PetrB

KenOC said:


> Sadly, Richter seems to have largely avoided Beethoven's music except for some signature pieces. But Gilels made up for it with an incredible sonata almost-cycle.


But we have those Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Rostrapovich!


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## DavidA

KenOC said:


> Sadly, Richter seems to have largely avoided Beethoven's music except for some signature pieces. But Gilels made up for it with an incredible sonata almost-cycle.


I have a disc of Richter playing the Hammerklavier. One critic said he 'takes no prisoners. They've all run away!'

I also have an incredible Appassionata by the great man - on the back of the Brahms 2 with Leinsdorf. Breathtaking!


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## schuberkovich

His recording of Schubert's D960 live in Prague is phenomenal. No other performance reaches the same level


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## KenOC

DavidA said:


> I have a disc of Richter playing the Hammerklavier. One critic said he 'takes no prisoners. They've all run away!'
> 
> I also have an incredible Appassionata by the great man - on the back of the Brahms 2 with Leinsdorf. Breathtaking!


I used to have a Russian mono MK recording of Richter's Appassionata. I hope it was performed in an earthquake-proof hall!


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## DavidA

schuberkovich said:


> His recording of Schubert's D960 live in Prague is phenomenal. No other performance reaches the same level


Yes, it is. But that is one way of playing Schubert. I'm at present listening to the very different approach of Geza Anda. Also wonderful, depending on what mood I'm in. You have to feel strong to hear Richter in the D960!


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## Op.123

I find that Richter's interpretations of Schumann are unsurpassed.


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## Op.123

I love his Schumann, I have quite a few recordings of him playing Schumann
Piano concerto, fantaisie, waldszenen, papillons, toccata, novelette 1, march 2, Introduction and allegro appassionato, faschingsschwank aus wien, humoresque.


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## millionrainbows

It was said that Glenn Gould and Richter had a great mutual respect. Get Richter's _Handel Keyboard Suites_ (Yedang or Revelation) and the _Live In Hungary 1954-1993_ box set.


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## joen_cph

There´s a very good deal of Richter Beethoven, cf.
http://www.trovar.com/str/discs/beeth.html

He made a bunch of some incredible Appassionata recordings around 1960, including the Carnegie Hall and the lesser known Kiev and Prague 1959, at times faulty but great anyway:


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## DavidA

There is a very good brilliant classics disc set of Richter playing late Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. Outstanding!


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## Vaneyes

DavidA said:


> Richter always had something to say about what he played. He never played pieces he could not feel he could get on with. When Shostakovich once asked him why he didn't play some of his preludes and fugues, Richter replied, "Why should I play those I don't like?" Of course, Richter wasn't to everyone's taste in everything. But he could be positively mesmeric, especially in concert. Sadly the one time I was going to hear him in concert he cancelled!


Condolences for that cancellation.

Richter's cherry-picking of some works is indeed unfortunate. What he likes is one thing. What the composer's work in total deserves, another. And for posterity, yet another. Not to mention greedy collectors/listeners.


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## DeepR

His "properly recorded" music shows only a fraction of what he was capable of. Listen to some of those recital recordings from the 50s and 60s... all in bad quality and sometimes plagued with audience coughing and noise - but still his great playing shines through.


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## valtys

DavidA said:


> There is a very good brilliant classics disc set of Richter playing late Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. Outstanding!


Yes, the one with the green box. I turn to that one quite frequently. Wonderful set!

Lately I have been going through DG's Richter: Pianist of the Century set and it is truly wonderful. With the exception of the Schumann, I have never heard any of these recordings.


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## Vaneyes

I don't worship at the altar of Richter (GG's, maybe). I'm just glad he has some recordings that I enjoy. His Schumann and Prokofiev recs. impress the most, but I wouldn't want to be without any that I've settled on.

*Haydn*: Sonatas XVI 40, 41, 44, 48, 52 (Decca, rec.1986 - '87)
*LvB*: Piano Sonatas 3, 4, 27 (Regis, rec.1971 - '75)
*Schumann*: Etudes symphoniques; Variations, Op. 13; Bunte Blatter, Op.99, Three Pieces; Five Album Leaves; Two Fantasiestucke, Op.12 (Regis, rec.1971 - '79)
*Prokofiev*: PC 5 (DG, rec. 1958); Piano Sonatas 4 & 6 (Decca, rec. 1966 -'89); Piano Sonata 8 (DG, rec.1961); Visions fugitives (DG, rec.1962) Visions fugitives; Legende Op.12, No. 6; from Four Pieces, Op.32; Pieces from Cinderella (Decca, rec.1979)
*Rachmaninov*: Six Preludes from Op.23; Seven Preludes from Op.32; Two and Four Etudes-tableaux from Opp. 33, 39 (Alto, rec.1971 - '83)
*Scriabin*: Poeme nocturne, Op. 61; Deux danses, Op.73; Vers la flamme, Op. 72; Fantaisie, Op. 28 (Decca, rec.1992)
*Shostakovich*: 24 Preludes & Fugues (6), Op. 87 (Decca, rec.1963)


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## DavidA

Vaneyes said:


> Condolences for that cancellation.
> 
> Richter's cherry-picking of some works is indeed unfortunate. What he likes is one thing. What the composer's work in total deserves, another. And for posterity, yet another. Not to mention greedy collectors/listeners.


He probably thought he couldn't do a work justice unless he liked it.


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## DavidA

valtys said:


> Yes, the one with the green box. I turn to that one quite frequently. Wonderful set!
> 
> .


Yes, and very good value too!


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## Ajayay

He's wonderful. The Enigma documentary about him is very interesting.

There's that infamous video clip of him playing the Op 10 No 4 Chopin etude at light speed. So fast that many people have alleged that it must have been speeded up - but it wasn't! Like Horowitz, there were times with Richter when you just had to admit that he was beyond ordinary mortals and all you could do was gape open-mouthed and say "wow!"


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## Albert7

Ajayay said:


> He's wonderful. The Enigma documentary about him is very interesting.
> 
> There's that infamous video clip of him playing the Op 10 No 4 Chopin etude at light speed. So fast that many people have alleged that it must have been speeded up - but it wasn't! Like Horowitz, there were times with Richter when you just had to admit that he was beyond ordinary mortals and all you could do was gape open-mouthed and say "wow!"


Wow, that's a great story... I feel that Argerich was his true "rival" for during that same time frame in fact. Richter brought magic to every single piece that he played, that's for sure.


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## Triplets

Albert7 said:


> Wow, that's a great story... I feel that Argerich was his true "rival" for during that same time frame in fact. Richter brought magic to every single piece that he played, that's for sure.


Richter is about 30 years older than Argerich and was a legend when she was born. He's been dead a while and M.A. is still going strong. Not sure I see a rivalry there


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## Albert7

Triplets said:


> Richter is about 30 years older than Argerich and was a legend when she was born. He's been dead a while and M.A. is still going strong. Not sure I see a rivalry there


Their recording careers span about the same time from about 1965-1975-ish... Not a rivalry in the true sense so that is why I utilized the quotes accordingly.


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## Triplets

Albert7 said:


> Their recording careers span about the same time from about 1965-1975-ish... Not a rivalry in the true sense so that is why I utilized the quotes accordingly.


Richter recorded extensively in the USSR before being allowed totour the West. Many releases now feature him from the late 1940s. Argerich is of course still actively playing


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## Blancrocher

I was brought to this thread after reading Tom Service's recommendations in honor of the 100th anniversary of Richter's birth:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/to...8/10-of-the-best-essential-richter-recordings

Nice to see his collaboration with Benjamin Britten alluded to. In addition to the Mozart, I'd recommend the duo's mesmerizing performance of Schubert's Fantasia in F minor.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCAE0CC62E5F97141

For those who might be interested, here's a complete discography (which I think would be especially useful either for completists or those trying to avoid doubling up on performances):

http://trovar.com/str/RichterD.html#reg

*p.s.* Seconding Ajayay's recommendation of The Enigma. It's highly misleading about certain musically irrelevant details of his life (such as his love life), but I love that film.


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## Albert7

A most wonderful pianist. Perhaps not as consistent as Argerich but so much magic in the prolific recordings that he came out with.


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## shadowdancer

Albert7 said:


> A most wonderful pianist. Perhaps not as consistent as Argerich but so much magic in the prolific recordings that he came out with.


The comparison is inadequate. 
Richter masters Schubert and Bach (one of the best WTC around) solos pieces.
How many Bach Argerich recorded? How many Schubert? 
But, Richter can`t beat her at Kinderszenen and others in those lines.

Imho, makes no sense this comparison.


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## DavidA

It's just 100 years since Richter's birth. I'd recommend the centenary box from Sony which has the Carnegie Hall recitals. 

Richter at his best was like Horowitz at his best - unsurpassed!


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## DavidA

shadowdancer said:


> The comparison is inadequate.
> Richter masters Schubert and Bach (one of the best WTC around) solos pieces.
> How many Bach Argerich recorded? How many Schubert?
> But, Richter can`t beat her at Kinderszenen and others in those lines.
> 
> Imho, makes no sense this comparison.


Why not say both are incredible pianists. Interestingly they tended to play different repertoire. So they complemented each other


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## shadowdancer

DavidA said:


> Why not say both are incredible pianists. Interestingly they tended to play different repertoire. So they complemented each other


That`s exactly what I think. 
Furthermore, comparing pianists skills is completely waste of time. There are dozens that you could call outstanding. Who is better than who? One will never know. 
Horowitz? Rubinstein? Richter? Gulda? Gould? Serkin?
I say: they are all the best! 
My post was a direct answer to a senseless comparison.


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## AnotherSpin

I do not listen Richter often, and have only few of his CDs. For my taste his playing is too often exaggerated to almost hysterical proportions and I cannot avoid to notice marks of personal exhibitionism. 

Andrey Gavrilov, who was very close with him for long period of time, gives unique portrayal of Richter in highly recommended autobiography book titled "Tchaikovsky, Fira and Me".


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## Albert7

AnotherSpin said:


> I do not listen Richter often, and have only few of his CDs. For my taste his playing is too often exaggerated to almost hysterical proportions and I cannot avoid to notice marks of personal exhibitionism.
> 
> Andrey Gavrilov, who was very close with him for long period of time, gives unique portrayal of Richter in highly recommended autobiography book titled "Tchaikovsky, Fira and Me".


I really enjoy the heavy personalization to the music that Richter delivers often.  Me approve.

Same with Gould too.


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## AnotherSpin

Albert7 said:


> I really enjoy the heavy personalization to the music that Richter delivers often.  Me approve.
> 
> Same with Gould too.


 Many people compare Richter with Gould. I believe they were very, very different. To put it simply, Richter often was playing "himself", Gould was playing music inside his head, one which nobody else may heard. Gould was an eccentric, but never a show-off.


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## sprite

wonderful video of Glenn Gould talking about Richter... articulate and spot on. i'm in agreement with it.

what gould says in the beginning of this sums up perfectly when i could never get into dream theater. i've always felt that way but no one has put it in words as concisely and consummately as gould in that clip.


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## AnotherSpin

The more years I am listening to the music, the less I am listening Richter.


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## Brouken Air

AnotherSpin said:


> Many people compare Richter with Gould. I believe they were very, very different. To put it simply, Richter often was playing "himself", Gould was playing music inside his head, one which nobody else may heard. Gould was an eccentric, but never a show-off.


Treating Richter of show-off pianist, seems to me ridiculous. See the movie of Richter made by Bruno Monsaingeon.

Read Monsaingeon about Richter:

_The artists-interprets with whom I feel a true affinty with, are those who go beyond the instrument they're playing and only those matters; those who can travel inside themselves, do not stick on the instrument settings for expressing music. It's not because the G string sound flattering that she must be used in a variation of a Chaconne from Bach. The piano is just an instrument and do not dictate the musical thought, and we do not exploit it to make the relation shine, but we use it to in order to give the audience a feeling of intimacy with the music. From all the instrumentalists I had the privilege to worked with, Richter is one of those who give the strongest feeling of de-materializing the music. As a cannon which would shoot a bombshell without recoil, a plane who would take off vertically without impulse, Richter is able of infinitely varying the colours and without any gradient in between, he's passing from the lightest pianissimo to the most volcanic fortissimo, without the slightest pause or inertial force. If he gives sometimes the impression of fighting with the material, it's to crush it, and give life to the pure chant (Gesang), in the drunkenness of the most virtuosic pieces where his fingers play beyond the physical feasible, as well as the extreme slowness of adagios that he knows, as nobody does, how to haunt those with a feeling of total stillness.
_
Listen to his Schumann Piano Quintet with the Borodine or the Dvorak or Franck's quintet with the same, Prokofiev & Brahms Violin sonatas with Oistrakh, Tchaikovsky's trio . Listen to his Beethoven in Richter in Leipzig in a weightless state (For somebody whose focus was not Beethoven, he played the sonatas (very often) 1,3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, all the variations, concertos 1,3 & triple ..). His Bach French & English suite, WTC,... is pure poetry! Schubert under his fingers shows fragility, darkness, hope, despair... NO one plays Schubert like Richter and he never played a piece the same way. Listen to the second Rachmaninov concerto, to the Liszt's concerti with Kondrashin or Tchaikovsky with Ancerl... Even the preludes and fugues of Shostakovich are marvellous (yes he played the preludes and fugues!). Debussy's preludes are to cry...

You can say, that you don't like the way Richter is playing, but do not treat Richter of Show-off pianist. He's absolutely the opposite and to my opinion the greatest piano player, we ever had.

In memoriam Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter

:tiphat:


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## Albert7

I really think that Richter is one of the landmark pianists of the 20th century. He was a thinking-man pianist and not too over-imbued with emotional craziness.


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## sharik




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## Pugg

​Richter on Sony

​ Richter on Philips/ Decca

I have both and I love them :tiphat:


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## Brouken Air

Lets try to summarize a must have of Richter's recordings.

Starting with chamber music:

The Schumann quintet is totally apocalyptic, you'll be blown away. This is not a very known record but absolutely brilliant with the Borodine Quartet. 








The Franck Quintet by Richter and the Borodine has no match, it is out of this world!








Two giants giving a lesson on Brahms and Prokofiev violin sonatas. There's a movie of the performance, you must watch it absolutely!!








This is an incredible interpretation of the Tchaikovsky trio (very very bad sound!!!!). Many people do not like it, I adore it. It's the most hypnotic interpretation of the Trio, THE Russsian soul at his best!:devil:








My reference of the Dvorak Quintet with the Borodine. 








I will continue chamber music tomorrow :devil:!

:tiphat:


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## Ilarion

sharik said:


>


Hi Sharik,

Your selection of Richter playing Liszt is spot-on perfect - BRAVO!!! Richter made Liszt "alive" for me.


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## Brouken Air

Let's continue with chamber music:devil:

Reference for Shostakovich piano quintet (also Leonskaïa with the same quartet) and for the string quartets...








Beethoven, Brahms & Grieg cello sonatas the russian way (sonically weak!).








Shostakovich & Franck at their best, the two giants again together, explosive!!!








Let's start with the solo recordings of Richter :devil:

The absolute must have of Richter, the Praga concerts in one box (15 CDs).








An haunting Schubert, a summit!!








To be continued in the evening!

:tiphat:


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## sharik

Ilarion said:


> Hi Sharik, Your selection of Richter playing Liszt is spot-on perfect - BRAVO!!! Richter made Liszt "alive" for me.


thank you, Tikhon; it is only a couple of days ago i got to listening to this recording which struck me with its brilliance and highest level of performance ever achieved by everyone involved.


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## joen_cph

A surprise at least to me: Richter, as he´s not usually portrayed ...


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## Steatopygous

Pugg said:


> ​Richter on Sony
> 
> ​ Richter on Philips/ Decca
> 
> I have both and I love them :tiphat:


I have only the latter, and I love it. But I have lots and lots of other Richter recordings. He is unquestionably one of the very greatest. I cannot agree that he was a show-off. I know of no pianist with greater integrity or commitment. Have you ever heard the 1958 live recital in Budapest (from memory) with an absolutely revelatory Pictures at an Exhibition. It is in the Decca set, and the Philips Great Pianists (Richter's first volume). 
Review here: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainm...hilips-and-dg-recordings-20150203-1315s7.html


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## cna

I might sound ridiculous but any pianist who can deliver Bach's music well, in the purest and sincerest and most natural form deserves to be called 'a great pianist'. Richter, to me, is one of the greatest.


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## Ukko

Richter's _famous _recording of Pictures from 1958 is the Sofia one. There is also a great one from Prague in 1959, wherein the 'point' is made in a different place. My 'man in Kiev' provided a couple dozen or so recordings made in Moscow over at least a couple decades. There is also the compilation of recordings made during his trek on the Trans-Siberian Railway. My take is that he was not a 'show-off', but a musician driven to perform before the public. A 'man with a mission'.


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