# Sviatoslav Richter



## flamencosketches

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't seem to understand the immense praise this guy gets. To me, his playing comes off as almost boring. I wonder if I'm simply listening to the wrong part of his repertoire. Most of what I've heard of his is Schubert, and I'm always wondering why he takes the tempo so low, never finding it too impressive. I also find that most of his records I've heard are very poorly recorded live recitals and his piano tone sounds quite poor. 

Am I alone here? Anyone care to recommend some recordings that might illustrate what I'm missing? I am very new to classical music in general and solo piano music in particular so it could be that my ear has yet to develop enough to understand his supposed greatness. For what it's worth, some of the pianists I really like are Martha Argerich, András Schiff, Glenn Gould, Artur Rubinstein, Ivo Pogorelich, Ivan Moravec, and I've recently discovered the music of Richter's teacher Vladimir Sofronitsky who I now see as pure genius, especially his Scriabin. 

Thanks to anyone who might help! I really do want to understand this man's music.


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## Mandryka

Here's a couple of things by Richter I like


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## joen_cph

There's a often a big difference between the early Richter and Richter say after 1965; in his later years, say after 1980, he became even more introvert.

Seems that you haven't heard earlier, more fiery recordings




 (Beethoven 1960)
or 




 (Mussorgsky 1958)
or




 (Grieg concerto, Kondrashin 1964)

Here's some late, fine Rachmaninov


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## chill782002

Richter was a great pianist, even in his later years. I have a recording of a recital given by him in 1994, when he was 79 years old and the playing is astonishing, from both a technical and interpretative point of view. The performance of Ravel's "Miroirs" may be the best I've ever heard. No doubt in my mind, the only pianists I would consider his equal are Horowitz and Sofronitsky. I completely agree with your description of the latter as a genius.


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## joen_cph

Yes, you probably mean the Ermitage CD with "Miroirs", which must be quite easy to get. A fine performance indeed.


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## chill782002

It is entitled, "Out of Later Years Volume II" and is on the "Live Classics" label. The notes inform me that it was recorded in Ludwigshafen on May 19, 1994.


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## joen_cph

OK, mine is on Aura, sorry not Ermitage (the labels are related), and coupled with Ravel's _Valses Nobles_ ..., Franck _Prelude,_ Choral ... and Grieg _Lyric Pieces._ But it's a Radio Svizzera performance on June 5th 1994 in Lugano. I prefer Lipatti in the Alborada, though.


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## DavidA

Towards the end of his life Richter's playing became rather impersonal. This may have been sue partly to a hearing defect which forced him to play from music. To get him at his peak listen to the Brahms 2 with Leinsdorf.


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## chill782002

joen_cph said:


> OK, mine is on Aura, sorry not Ermitage (the labels are related), and coupled with Ravel's _Valses Nobles_ ..., Franck _Prelude,_ Choral ... and Grieg _Lyric Pieces._ But it's a Radio Svizzera performance on June 5th 1994 in Lugano. I prefer Lipatti in the Alborada, though.


A different performance then, although only several weeks apart. The setlist for mine is:

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No 2

Scriabin - Piano Sonata No 7

Ravel - Valses Nobles et Sentimentales

Ravel - Miroirs


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## flamencosketches

Interesting to note re: playing from music, hearing defect. My girlfriend and I were watching a documentary called the Art of the Piano yesterday and there was a brief clip of Richter where he had music in front of him which my girlfriend found baffling. He was clearly older at that point but it was still unusual to see. 

In any case, I really appreciate everyone's suggestions! I know much of the Schubert I've heard him play is from the late '80s and perhaps I need to check out his earlier recordings first. It looks like I have a lot to check out. I'm going to try and get through all of it if I can.


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## DavidA

flamencosketches said:


> Interesting to note re: playing from music, hearing defect. My girlfriend and I were watching a documentary called the Art of the Piano yesterday and there was a brief clip of Richter where he had music in front of him which my girlfriend found baffling. He was clearly older at that point but it was still unusual to see.
> 
> In any case, I really appreciate everyone's suggestions! I know much of the Schubert I've heard him play is from the late '80s and perhaps I need to check out his earlier recordings first. It looks like I have a lot to check out. I'm going to try and get through all of it if I can.


Apparently he developed a defect where he heard the music higher than it actually was which caused him some confusion during a concert as he was constantly compensating for it. Hence the music.


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## flamencosketches

That is bizarre, never heard of anything like that. In that case, it's remarkable he was able to play that well even despite the circumstances. 

I enjoyed that Tchaikovsky meditation, and I like this Pictures at an Exhibition too.


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## Mandryka

DavidA said:


> Apparently he developed a defect where he heard the music higher than it actually was which caused him some confusion during a concert as he was constantly compensating for it. Hence the music.


Where did you learn this?


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## Mandryka

flamencosketches said:


> In any case, I really appreciate everyone's suggestions! I know much of the Schubert I've heard him play is from the late '80s and perhaps I need to check out his earlier recordings first. It looks like I have a lot to check out. I'm going to try and get through all of it if I can.


I like later Richter more than earlier, I like the sense of a musician really fathoming the poetry in the music. Three CDs of solo music which I recommend exploring are these -- but he was at possibly at his best accompanying singers or in chamber music or in concertos, if that sort of thing interests you, let me know and I'll give it a think.


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## Josquin13

As far as I know Richter didn't study with Sofronitsky. He was to some extent self-taught, but he did work with Heinrich Neuhaus, who was also one of Emil Gilels' teachers.

Your reaction to Richter isn't uncommon. His early recordings are often in poor sound, while his later recordings are mostly live, & the performances occasionally on out of tune, clangorous pianos, etc. Generally, Richter didn't like recording studios, so the majority of his recordings were made from live concerts throughout his career. He also gave 'impromptu' recitals towards the end of his life, on sometimes very poor pianos. So, with Richter, you're going to encounter a variable sound quality, inevitably, & you'll have to navigate your way through or around it--depending on your tolerance level--to appreciate his pianism. (The CD remasters haven't always helped things, either.)

While Richter did make some exceptional recordings late in his career, I'd say that he was more inconsistent in the last decade or so of his life. For me, Richter's best period came in the 1960s and early to mid-1970s, or thereabouts. That's the period when he made his reputation as one of the great pianists of the 20th century. One of his gifts was that he could slow down very poetically, and yet remain intensely concentrated; which is no small feat in the music of Schumann, Brahms, Beethoven, & Chopin, etc.. I've noticed that when other pianists try to do this, the structure of the music often becomes too loose & splits apart. That was not the case with Richter (even with his very slow & intense Chopin). This special ability, when combined with Richter's extraordinary virtuosity (as he practiced like a fiend), allowed him to be more mercurial than most pianists, and that's one of the major reasons why his Beethoven, Schumann, Prokofiev, & Brahms are so fine, in my opinion. Personally, I think that Richter was at his very best in those 4 composers; although I also treasure some of his Haydn, Grieg, Scriabin, Bach, and Schubert. In regards to his 'slowing' down in Schubert, I'd point out that a number of Soviet era pianists, with the exception of Sofronitsky, slowed down in Schubert's final Piano Sonata, D. 960, but otherwise, Richter's Schubert isn't abnormally slow: such as his D. 958: 



, & famous "Wanderer Fantasy": 



). Richter was also known for his excellent Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Szymanowski (Metopes), Hindemith, Britten, Shostakovich, Handel, Mozart, and Bach (where I prefer his early DG recordings, and some of the later Stradivarius ones). Some people consider Richter's Debussy to be very fine, too. Indeed, pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy once declared Richter the greatest living Debussy pianist.

A good place to start with Richter is a box set of his 1960s DG recordings, entitled "Pianist of the Century":

https://www.amazon.com/Pianist-Cent...1549166796&sr=1-3&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter





In my view, those are among Richter's best performances on record, and the DG sound engineering is better than what he generally received in the Soviet Union & elsewhere during this period (as the Russian Melodyia label didn't modernize their sound recording equipment until sometime in the early to mid-1980s, when they went digital).

In addition, Richter was often at his best playing live in Prague. I think you'll find that his Praga & Harmonia Mundi recordings of those recitals are mostly exceptional, however, they aren't always in the best sound, depending on the dates of the performances, as some are mono (despite that their latest releases are on hybrid SACDs). Here are links to two "Prague" box sets: https://www.amazon.com/Richter-Prag...1549314667&sr=1-10&keywords=Richter+in+prague, or https://www.amazon.com/Richter-Prag...=1549314667&sr=1-1&keywords=Richter+in+prague. All of these Czech recordings are available on individual CDs & recently, on hybrid SACDs too--so you can pick & choose among them. He also played exceptionally well in Leipzig, Kiev, & Hungary.

Richter's Eurodisc/Melodyia/Olympia recordings from the 1970s are worth hearing, too--although I wasn't overly crazy about the 'careless' remasters for the latest "Eurodisc" box set, having owned most of these recordings on LP: https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...d=1549171160&sr=1-1&keywords=Richter+Eurodisc

Richter's EMI studio recordings are mostly well recorded and excellent, & I'd strongly recommend the Icon set:

https://www.amazon.com/Icon-Sviatos...8&qid=1549170245&sr=1-1&keywords=Richter+icon





The later Philips recordings--now reissued on Decca--are mostly digital and come in good to very good sound, but the performances are more variable.

A. Here's a selection of a range of Richter performances that I wouldn't want to be without (although you had better sample them to make sure you're okay with the sound quality before making any purchases):









https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fan...9&sr=1-6&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Schumann (Note that the Waldszenen & Fantasiestucke performances here are the same ones that are in the DG box set.)




 (this is Richter's studio Schumann Fantasie, made for EMI)
https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fan...&sr=1-11&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Schumann












https://www.amazon.com/Richter-Leip...&sr=1-3&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Beethoven
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...ist=OLAK5uy_mf3qRiOF7a1uF63jPJq0HP6aSlf1hXWLg
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...WEHZWAE68YK&psc=1&refRID=4Z2RRSYPDWEHZWAE68YK
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...1549171874&sr=1-26&keywords=Richter+prokofiev
The following CD shows Richter at his very best in Debussy, Prokofiev, & Scriabin, but note that it's also included in the DG box set: https://www.amazon.com/Scriabin-Deb...&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+debussy+scriabin




https://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Conce...sr=1-10&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Beethoven
https://www.amazon.com/Richter-Leip...8-1-fkmr0&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+leipzig





https://www.amazon.com/BEETHOVEN-SONATAS-ANDANTE-FAVORI-24bit/dp/B000CBO0HQ (These remarkable Beethoven performances are also included in the EMI Icon set.)









Here too are Richter's live 1975 Beethoven Hammerklavier performances, at (1) the Aldeburgh Festival in Blythburgh, (2) Prague, and (3) the Royal Festival Hall in London (the latter two being my favorite Hammerklaviers). Interestingly, he never played the work again. I've heard only a few pianists in my life play the slow movement of the Hammerklavier with the same intensity and emotional & psychological insight as Richter did in London & Prague, in 1975--only Solomon and Annie Fischer come close in my mind.

















https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...2TSRPC2H3XQ&psc=1&refRID=NKTTR6N5A2TSRPC2H3XQ





 of my favorite recordings of Brahms, Klavierstücke, Op. 119.













In addition, Richter's live 1990s Grieg Lyric Pieces are among his finest last recordings (they were issued on the Stradivarius label & Live Classics:










You might also want to have a listen to the box set of his complete RCA and Columbia recordings: 




Richter's Prokofiev is essential, too--especially his playing of the Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 & 9 and the Piano Concertos 1 & 5. Richter knew the composer, and deeply understood the troubled Stalinist era out of which this music was born. Prokofiev dedicated his 9th Piano Sonata to Richter, so his performances of the 9th are especially important & historical:





 (in the DG set)

















https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pi...=1549171747&sr=1-1&keywords=Richter+prokofiev
https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pi...=1549171747&sr=1-3&keywords=Richter+prokofiev (these performances are in the DG box set)
https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Sy...1549171874&sr=1-29&keywords=Richter+prokofiev
https://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Pi...1549171874&sr=1-34&keywords=Richter+prokofiev

I've yet to hear this Parnassus label release of a concert that Richter gave in Brooklyn, but it's on You Tube: 




There are also worthwhile Richter recordings from the BBC Archives, as well as superb recordings from the Aldeburgh Festival with Benjamin Britten, such as the Britten-Richter Schubert Fantasy in F minor, for four hands, D. 940: 




B. Richter as a chamber musician:

Richter recorded often with violinist David Oistrakh, and then later with Oistrakh's student, Oleg Kagan, after Oistrakh passed away. Most of these recordings are first rate; although, with Oistrakh, the sound can be quite variable (sometimes grating), while with Kagan the recordings are mostly digital, but live:

Richter's recordings of the Brahms Violin Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3 with Oistrakh (No. 1 is with pianist Frida Bauer) on Le chant du monde are especially worthwhile, but unfortunately they are OOP and have become pricey; however, they are worth searching out: https://www.amazon.com/David-Oistra...31&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+david+oistrakh


















Oistrakh & Richter's live Franck Violin Sonata in Paris in 1968 is also worth hearing, along with the rest of the recital: 




Among the best recordings that Richter made with violinist Oleg Kagan is a series of Mozart Violin Sonatas, first for EMI: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Violi...&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+kagan+mozart+EMI, and later for Kagan's Live Classics label. Unfortunately, the Live Classics recordings are OOP and can be pricey:










https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Violi...&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+kagan+mozart+EMI
https://www.amazon.com/Oleg-Kagan-V...&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+kagan+mozart+EMI
https://www.amazon.com/Oleg-Kagan-V...&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+kagan+mozart+EMI

But any of Richter's recordings with Kagan are worth hearing, including his piano trio recordings with Kagan and his wife, cellist Natalia Gutman: 



 and 



. Although Richter himself said that Kagan could be erratic--sometimes very brilliant, other times less so.










Richter is also known for his recordings of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas 1-5, with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, & I'd recommend those recordings, if the music is of interest to you:





https://www.amazon.com/Cello-Sonata...=1-3&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Rostropovich
https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Co...=1-6&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+rostropovich

Some people like the Beethoven Triple Concerto that Richter recorded in Berlin with Oistrakh, Rostropovich, and conductor Herbert von Karajan, for EMI, while others think that Karajan's outsized ego got in the way of his 'star' soloists. Richter & Oistrakh disliked the recording, & were unhappy working with Karajan; however, Rostropovich's cello playing is exceptionally beautiful in the slow movement: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Tr...8-7&keywords=sviatoslav+Richter+Beethoven+EMI

Finally, Richter's 1958 mono recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet with the early Borodin Quartet is the best I've heard of this work, and shows the pianist at his finest as a chamber musician--if you can get past the less than ideal sound: Here it is on LP, which sounds better than the CD remasters: 




https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...-1&keywords=richter+borodin+brahms+quintet+LP
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...rds=sviatoslav+Richter+borodin+brahms+quintet 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078KPH7XY/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp





I consider Richter & the Borodin Quartet's Shostakovich Piano Quintet to be another benchmark recording: 




(Their later, mostly digital recordings of piano quintets & quartets of Franck, Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, & Dvorak are also worthwhile.)

In closing, here's another person's view on the subject of Richter's best recordings: https://www.theguardian.com/music/t...8/10-of-the-best-essential-richter-recordings

And here is a link to a YT page that offers a ton of Richter's recordings to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW...?shelf_id=3579731707244514335&view=50&sort=dd

P.S. I forgot to mention that Richter also accompanied various singers in Lieder performances, such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Schreier. I'd recommend his live Schubert Winterreise song cycle, D. 911, with Schreier: 



.

P.S.S.--I'd also recommend Bruno Monsaingeon's documentary film on Richter, entitled "The Engima" --it's another good place to start...:


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## NLAdriaan

Wow Josquin13, what a great overview for anyone to start off with Richter, great work!! For me, Richter stands out as my favourite pianist of all time, he always reaches a deeper layer, compared to others. He is not a brilliant lion on the piano, but his playing is so moving. For Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin and Prokofiev, you can't go wrong with decent recordings from the later years.

Personally, I do like the later (European and Japanese recordings of Richter, ie 70-90s) both because of the recording quality and because IMO Richter reached more depth in his later period.

I was happy to attend two of his recitals in Holland in 1992, which became lifetime memories. He played in the Concertgebouw in the dark, with only a small light to see the sheet music, utterly convincing Beethoven and two days later an unplanned extra concert in a small venue (he didn't care for huge audiences or prestigious podiums).

If you have the opportunity to start from scratch with Richter and if you have the cash available, I would go for this one:








In this great box, you will find everything you need (apart from Bach's well tempered Clavier)

If you want to start step by step, this might be a good one:








And the Enigma documentary by Monsaigneon, as recommended before, is also a great way to get a introduction, after which you 
might end up getting the big box anyhow 

In a way it seems wonderful to be able to start new in music somewhere. So best of luck!


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## flamencosketches

Josquin, you've given me a lot to work with. It'll be years before I knock out everything on that list! :lol: Many thanks.

Just to update on this thread. I've since heard Richter's Well-Tempered Clavier and in addition to its becoming my favorite version of the work, it's definitely convinced me of Richter's skill as an interpreter. Though I'm now trying to take a break from solo piano music, (it's the vast majority of what I have been listening to for a few months and I need to break up the monotony), I do look forward to looking further into his music. I've never heard him playing Chopin but I could see his music working at a slower tempo.


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## flamencosketches

Re: Sofronitsky, I wouldn't be surprised to be mistaken about the connection there; I forget where I heard it. But I do remember an anecdote (perhaps apocryphal) that Sofronitsky once drunkenly proclaimed Richter to be a genius, to which he replied "if I'm a genius, you are a god!" or something to that effect. When I heard that I was picturing a context of teacher and student but it would also make sense with an admirer/disciple type of situation.

@Mandryka (I believe it was you) if you wouldn't mind I would indeed appreciate recommendations of Richter playing chamber music in small ensembles. Like I said I am trying to take a break from piano-only music, but I do still want to discover Richter's music further.


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## bharbeke

I'm glad you heard and enjoyed his Well-Tempered Clavier. It is probably my favorite version.

If you want to give him another chance with Schubert, his Wanderer Fantasy recording is spectacular.

You've already got a bunch of choices from the thread, so I'll just leave one more recommendation. Try him with Schumann's Waldszenen, Op. 82.


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## Mandryka

Here’s a list of my 10 favourite Richter recordings which I made for someone in 2014, I don’t know how I’d feel now, it includes some ensemble music, though I’m surprised not to see some Brahms and Franck and Dvorak in there. And recently I played his PC 24(Mozart) with Muti and thought it was interesting. 

Ravel Trio with kagan
Beethoven and Mozart Violin sonatas with Kagan 
Winterreise with Schreier
Schumann Marchenbilder with Bashmet
Beethoven Op 14s on BBC Legends
Hindermith Suite 1922 (Philips)
Homage a Rameau in Hungary box
Ravel Valses in Hungary Box
Mozart K310 on Philips (late London recital) 
Chopin Mazurkas (BBC Legends)


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## RocredRecords

Have you listened to this recording? Absolutely brilliantl!

Sviatoslav Richter plays Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Bach


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## joen_cph

I'm slowly chewing my way through these boxes of early Richter Moscow recordings, available cheaply at JPC and other web dealers, typically about 20 Euros for 10-12 CDs or so.

The sound is very varying, in a few cases extremely poor. I agree that his playing can be of very mixed quality too, at times very forced, and sometimes he makes a surprising number of big errors. Still there are some good finds there too - for example the _Anees de Pelerinage Suite_. But it will take time to go through the sets and find the gems, perhaps fewer in numbers than I expected.


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## philoctetes

My first listen to Richter, about 40 years ago was a shock, accustomed to the likes of Rubinstein, Kempff, Ashkenazy, etc. It was his Rach 2 on DG, which still sounds amazing to me right from the intro, like a mythical giant treading across the steppes. Next came the Prokofiev 5. So I started with two of his very best. Later I came to be more aware of the hazards of collecting his recordings. First one to avoid would be the concertos with Rostropovich and Oistrakh, with Karajan driving a trainwreck of monumental ego with no survivors.

I'd certainly like to own the complete Richter on DG, who had him at a very good time and produced better recordings IMO than EMI. Often he is not my favorite interpreter of a piece but he rarely fails to impress or illuminate a piece in a special way. His Bach is organ-like, consistent with a general tendency to make the keyboard sound larger than life. 

But he could restrain himself in small groups, *most* of the time. I always liked his Shostakovich Sonata with Oistrakh and the Trout with the Borodin Quartet is also sublime, an exception in his EMI catalog. You can hear his later style was an influence on Leonskaja, but the latter rarely has Richter's concentration or inspiration..

I own the Enigma DVD about him and it shows most of his phases for comparison. Anybody interested in Richter should see it. I was still not aware of any hearing issues until reading about them here.


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