Sviatoslav Richter – Documentary – The Enigma – vol. 1- 7/8
The first part of the acclaimed docu-biography of the Ukrainian/German pianist Sviatoslav Richter including archive footage and an interview with the 80 year old Richter. . some quotes about richter (form wiki): The Italian critic Piero Rattalino has asserted that the only pianists comparable to Richter in the history of piano performance were Franz Liszt and Ferruccio Busoni. Glenn Gould called Richter one of „the most powerful musical communicators of our time“. Nathan Milstein described Richter in his memoir „From Russia to the West“ as the following: „Richter was certainly a marvelous pianist but not as impeccable as he was reputed to be. His music making was too dry for me. In Richter’s interpretation of Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, instead of flowing water you hear frozen icicles.“ Van Cliburn attended a Richter recital in 1958 in the Soviet Union. He reportedly cried during the recital and, upon returning to the United States, described Richter’s playing as „the most powerful piano playing I have ever heard“.
can not see 6 part
@SevenCircles he broke his thumb (if I remember correctly) and even started thinking about taking up painting, but he managed to fully recover.
@jhutch1463
Richter was almost alone in his greatness. I heard that he injured his hand in the fifties and he never fully recovered, anyone know if it´s true?
I love this guy. This segment explains to me why jt wasn’t till circa 1960 that he was mostly unheard in the US. His recording of „Pictures“ was a sensation. At that time I had a very knowledgeable music mentor who worked at the WGKA record store in Atlanta named Bud Charter. Anyway, something special about Richter was that he loved to drive around and, if the notion struck him, he would stop in a village or town along the way and find a piano, tune it up, and give a concert. Bravo life style.
LoL for the bel and the rachmaninov 2nd concerto.
Best mix: Russian and German!