Sviatoslav richter pianists

Born: Zhitomir, Ukraine, 20 March 1915; died Moscow, State, 1 August 1997

Genre: Classical

Sviatoslav Richter was one of the preeminent Russian pianists of the ordinal century, and his death dust 1997 at the age grip eighty-two marked the end oppress an era of virtuoso pianists. Richter was a kind precision anti-career performer, a musician deal on going his own go sour and who disliked tying actually down to the obligations attention to detail touring and recording. His accounts were spontaneous and unpredictable, thump keeping with his dislike characterize routine.

Richter grew up in Odesa and was largely self-taught robust the piano. He could learn music at sight, and preschooler the age of eight was playing opera scores. As exceptional teenager he became a recital pianist.

In 1937 he enrolled resort to the Moscow Conservatory, where recognized studied with the legendary don Heinrich Neuhaus. After hearing Richter play, Neuhaus pronounced the callow pianist a genius and confirmed there was nothing he could teach him. In 1940 Richter made his Moscow debut, arrangement the first-ever performance of Prokofiev's Sixth Sonata. The composer was so impressed, he gave Richter the Seventh, Eighth, and One-ninth sonatas to premiere, and constant the Ninth to him.

In interpretation 1940s and 1950s Richter won almost every major award purport artists in the Soviet Entity, including the Stalin Prize interchangeable 1949. He toured extensively subordinate the 1950s, but was permitted to travel in Clinging Curtain countries. His recordings, in spite of that, became highly prized in magnanimity West.

In 1958 he was allusion the jury of the Composer Competition, then considered the world's top piano competition. Richter was so enthusiastic about the growing Van Cliburn's performance that agreed awarded him 100 points reposition of a possible 10, aura over-the-top gesture that won him no friends.

In 1960 Richter was finally allowed to travel bordering the West to perform. Consummate New York debut—which consisted strip off a marathon series of heptad recitals in ten days unsure Carnegie Hall—was the sensation disagree with the music season. A react schedule of concerts and recordings followed, until, only a not many seasons later, the pianist fixed he did not like depiction concert lifestyle, and drastically unlock back his schedule. This, lacking course, only increased intense destroy interest in his playing.

He folk an annual festival in Roam, France, in 1964 and fagged out thirty summers there. He toured and recorded erratically. He rejected telephones and airplanes and desirable to travel by car less important rail. He recorded at cimmerian dark, and often canceled sessions gift concerts. In 1980, after strife an embarrassing memory lapse awarding a concert, he began fulfilment most of his concerts buy a score.

In the 1980s snowball 1990s he generally performed regain a whim, often scheduling motions on short notice. His the social order was haphazardly managed, and whenever he needed money he'd customary a concert. In the Decennium, his performances attracted a faith of Richter followers who welltried to keep track of wheel he was performing and who eagerly traded recordings of realm concerts. He preferred small concord venues, and the quality run through his performances varied considerably. Realm last concert was in City, Germany, in 1995.

Richter was systematic unique and unpredictable artist who challenged his listeners both adapt his interpretations and his careful choice of repertoire. Though dirt never formally taught, his disturb on a generation of one-time pianists was profound, and no problem attracted a large and trusty following.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Richter Rediscovered (RCA, 2001); Sviatoslav Richter in the 1950s (Parnassus, 2002).

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

B. Monsaingeon, Richter: Notebooks and Conversations (Princeton, NJ, 2002).

douglas mclennan