For good reason, Sviatoslav Richter is a giant of the art music world. Born in Russia in 1915 (now Ukraine), Richter was a complicated artist with a notorious stage persona. There are few more iconic scenes in piano culture than Sviatoslav's shining bare head and miserable, aggressive face digging into a Beethoven sonata under the weak light of a lamp on a dark stage. His aura was cripplingly romantic and heroic. Rubinstein bounced in a courtly fashion, Gould bobbed up and down drastically (and did bizarre things with spear hands when they weren't required on the piano), Richter attacked the piano, like an annoyed Victorian headmaster he commanded his body with vicious force and intent, threw about his head in despair. This translated into his sound which was huge and piercing, however as I will go on to explain, Richter was capable of a remarkably melodic and delicate sound.









Contrary to Richter's common stage persona, his recordings of gentler repertoire such as Debussy and Mozart sonatas are some of the most profoundly beautiful and touching interpretations of art music in recorded history. Recently I came across his recordings of the Mozart k 282, k545 and k310 sonatas. Paying particular attention to the k545 (as it's one of the few pieces I can play, therefore I'm a decent judge of what is a 'good' or 'bad' rendition of it) I was blown away by the lightness of his tone. It's probably fair to say Sviatoslav Richter is a better pianist than me, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand how that lightness of touch, majesty of tone, yet ordered structure is possible. The interpretation is immensely beautiful but not overly romantic or excessive, it is still fundamentally classical, fundamentally Mozartian. Most Mozart Sonata recordings leave me feeling as cold as Ilkley Moor on a frozen January day, but Richter's interpretations of them are truly stirring.





Richter's Schubert (which is probably better known) follows the same lead. Heartbreaking romantacism with tasteful restraint and remarkable delicacy. Looking through comments on YouTube, many people suggest that Richter was the greatest philosopher of the piano in history (or at least the 20/21st century). Essentially meaning his understanding for the music was profound and unmatched by his counterparts. I think this is proved in his playing, which, with the absence of more poetic language, just sounds right. Occasionally when listening to Horowitz, Arrua (etc) I'm struck with the thought that 'Beethoven would never exaggerate dynamics to such an extent', or 'Chopin never phrase that section in that way'. Despite Richter's individuality and creativity at the piano, these feelings never cross me when enjoying his music. In his own words: "The interpreter is really an executant, carrying out the composer's intentions to the letter. He doesn't add anything that isn't already in the work. If he is talented, he allows us to glimpse the truth of the work that is in itself a thing of genius and that is reflected in him. He shouldn't dominate the music, but should dissolve into it."









When examining Richter's sound at the piano, it is important not to ignore his legendary virtuosity. Sviatoslav's virtuosity is (arguably) unparalleled in his time. If you pay attention to his earlier live recordings, you never hear a note slip, everything is perfect. Of course, in the closing years of his career things began to lose shape, but the same can be said for every ageing pianist (look at Pollini!). Few people on earth could ever play such pieces at such speed without a wrong note. Again, this is testament to the genius of Sviatoslav Richter. His virtuosity spanned every genre, sub-genre and nut and crany of art music. As the man himself one said: "My repertory runs to around eighty different programs, not counting chamber works". His repertoire ranged from Handel and Bach to Szymanowski , Berg , Webern , Stravinsky , Bartók , Hindemith , Britten , and Gershwin. He applied himself to each of them not as a charlatan, but as a master.





The Recordings

My personal favorite Richter recording is his Beethoven Appassionata (recording in Moscow in 1960). The disc, above all demonstrates all the wonderful attributes of Richter I have briefly detailed. Enormous power, soaring virtuosity, profound delicacy, coherent structure. Highly recommended.



































