[ Left Photo ]
Sviatoslav Richter* RICHTER, Sviatoslav(20th Mar. 1915 ~ 1st Aug. 1997)
[ The holy devil, or satanic angel? ]
[ Left Photo ]
Sviatoslav Richter
If we have to evaluate all the pianists regardless of the personal tastes, there will be several creteria like the width of repertoire, technique, and individuality, etc. I think there is the only one that can be chosen in top 3 by any respects, Sviatoslav Richter. His strongest 'competitor' is perhaps Vladimir Horowitz, but a critical drawback is the width of repertoire. Other Austro-German pianists like Backhaus, Rudolf Serkin, and Kempff are not comparable to Richter in this respect, too.
Sviatoslav
Teofilovich Richter was born in Zhitomir, in Ukraine. His family
resided in Zhitomir from his grandfather, and his father(Teofil)
learned piano and organ in Vienna Conservatory and taught piano
at Zhitomir and Odessa Conservatory. He married one of his pupil.
But our young Slava did not learn much from his father. He almost
taught himself. We can't know the exact reason, but I guess there
are some clues in Heinrich Neuhaus's 'The Art of piano playing';
Famed piano teachers are so busy teaching his pupils as to have
little time for their own children. Anyway, we can hear of Slava
that he can play Liszt's work at 16, and the most complex
orchestral scores(e.g. Wagner) at first sight. He was enough to
be called a real genius.
He began the
legendary musical life only at 19 at Odessa by a Chopin program,
which was a great success though he remembered not very good. He
came into the Odessa Opera as a Korrepetitor, making use
of his immense capacity of playing orchestral score at first
sight. Many peoples say he was an assistant conductor in these
age, but it is completely wrong. (See my record error
page)
One day, a friend of his recommended him that he
should go to Moscow Conservatory. Heinrich Neuhaus, a legendary
teacher, reminded the encounter ; "entered a young and thin
man, played piano wonderfully. I thought he must be a genius, and
accepted him as a pupil at once." The young Slava studied
with Neuhaus for 10 years. Slava was already completed as an
artist then as Neuhaus said "He makes a nearly perfect
interpretation as soon as he sees a work. I have never seen any
other pianist that has wider artistic horizon than him."
However, Neuhaus gave a significant influence on him without
doubt, judging from the fact that Richter said "Neuhaus made
me a pianist".
Richter's family history is often on his fan's tongue. HIs father was killed by Beria's NKVD(later KGB) only because he has German origin after the 'Barba Rosa' operation. His mother formally married an acquaintance, moving to Germany following the retreating German army. At Moscow, Slava received the news that his mother was dead. But his mother heard a radio broadcast of her son in West Germany, and was able to see her son in 1960 after the legendary Carnegie Hall debut. How happy ther mother and the son were! And, Slava 'married' Soprano Nina Dorliac(1908~1997) in 1946. They never declared the marriage publicly, but Nina was accompanied by Slava at her every recital, and she had been with him at all of his concert journey. Of course, they lived at a house, apartment in Moscow.
Slava's Moscow official
debut concert was in 1940 by the sonata No.6 of Serge Prokofiev,
who himself chose Slava's playing. He praised Richter, "He
makes my works totally new" (we should remember an episode
that Prokofiev stopped David Oistrakh's playing because he did
not think it was good enough) Later, Richter premiered his sonata
No.7 and No.9(No.8 was premiered by Emil Gilels), and the latter
was dedicated to Richter. His Prokofiev recordings at the labels
of Melodiya, EMI, and DG show the best of him and are considered
as one of the typical interpretations of Prokofiev.
After the WWII, his fame began to be spread behind the iron curtain. He won the first prize at All-Soviet Concour, and was praised as 'the Liszt of our time' at 'Spring of Prague' festival. But in the Western world, only rare LPs of Melodiya was known, though Gilels declared "Wait for Richter" at Paris in 1955. Richter was not in the Soviet's best artists including Oistrakh and Gilels, of the 1955 Western tour. It was Van Cliburn and Glenn Gould that decisively informed Slava of the Western music world. Van heard Richter's playing at the Moscow, in the famous 1957 Tchaikovsky Concour visit. He said "The most powerful playing I have ever heard". Gould also entered one of the Richter's recital in his 1957 Moscow tour. Richter began by Schubert's Sonata No.21, of which the Melodiya 1971 recording shocked the listeners by the extremely slow tempo of the first movement. Gould remembered the concert as "the moment I saw the best interpreter of music that our age had borne".
The legendary impresario Sol Hurok tried to contact Slava from then on, but his American tour was realized only at 1960. HIs first concert program in Western world was Brahms's concert No.2 with the Chicago Symphony conducted by Erich Leinsdorf. It was an amazing success, and the successive concerts at the Carnegie Hall firmly settled his fame. Critics unanimously praised his technique and music, especially were surprised at his Beethoven. From 1961, he toured the Western Europe, and it was also a succession of great triumphs. He was praised as one of the great pianists of the 20th century from then on, as the same rank with Backhaus, Horowitz, Rudolf Serkin, and Artur Rubinstein.
They say his personality was very affable, but that not normal. He met the demonstration against Soviet's invading Czeko at USA in 1968. He said "Why must they intervene the politics to the art?" and never played in USA again. Richter was in juries of the 1957 Tchaikovsky concour. He gave the 100 points to Van Cliburn though the full was only 10 points. After the 'accident', no suggestion of concour jury was given to him.
He toured all over the world including Japan and Korea. I was lucky to be at the concert of his Seoul recital on 20th April 1994, programmed Prokofiev, Scriabin, and Ravel. It was undoubtedly the best concert I have ever heard from now on. He did not exile to Western World from the the Soviet regime, but lived most of his late years in France. He returned to Russia shortly before he died, and passed away by heart attack.
2. The art of Richter
It
is next to impossible to define Richter's artistry by a word. He is a camelleon, and shows totally
different face as the repertoire. Such
a many face is unprecedented even in the best pianists. I think
only Artur Rubinstein is near him at this capability, but that
Rubinstein almost could not defy J.S.Bach(except for only
Bach-Busoni's Chaconne). Often noted, who except Richter can play
the Well-Tempered Clavier and Tchaikovsky's Piano Sonata equally
well? I can imagine no intersection between his warm Bach and
Tchaikovsky's motor-like impetus. Even his tone is a camellon by the recording label
and concert hall, too. Though chosen in
the recordings of the similar dates, the tone of Schumann's
Fantasy and Beethoven's Tempest(EMI, 1961) is round, that of the
Liszt's concertos(Philips, 1961) brilliant, and that of the
extracts of Bach's WTC(DG, 1962 live) warm and diffusive. More
examples are that of Brahms's concerto No.2 with Leinsdorf(RCA,
1960; hard and concentric), and of Schumann's Symphonic
Etude(Melodiya, 1971; shockingly powerful, mature, and somewhat
'cool'). Compared to Backhaus, Kempff, Horowitz, and Rubinstein, Richter's individuality is NOT his
tone. It's clear. [ After Bruno
Monsaingeon's book, he never chose piano and said "When I am
well, I can find my tone easily at any piano, but not well I
can't." I was able to understand why his sonority was so
various. ]
If his charm is not the 'individual tone', what
makes his playing so attractive? Of course, his boundless and
transcendent technique(he is said to exercise 7 hours a day even
when travelling) or nearly fanatic(and irresistibly magnetic!)
atmosphere of the 1958 Sofia recital may be mentioned. However, (though there are many exception) I
think it results from 'the ability to look into ALL of the work'
and 'piercing self-claim, and the power expressioning it'. Neuhaus said "When listening his playing, we
can look down the total works... He has a horizontal
vision, that reaches all of the works to a far distance".
His penetrating ability of a work can be easily seen at
Beethoven's Appassionata recording by RCA(1960). 1st movement is
slow, but full of tension. 3rd movement is fluent rapidly, and
almost most madly furious and toughest at the coda(Presto) in all
the recordings I have ever heard. Neuhaus once said "The
first movement of Appassionata sonata tends to be played too
rapidly", and his two famous pupil Gilels and Richter played
it relatively slowly - Gilels's DG recording is similar to
Richter's in tempi. Richter's tempi give more impressions than
'only fast and furious'. (Only in tempi, Gulda's 1967 Amadeo recording is much faster in 1st
movement.) Richter's essence(or attractiveness!) is choking
excitement and orgasm, which captivates the audiences. Tempi goes
faster and faster - it makes music 'driving' impetus. Moreover,
many would be puzzled at the faster-than-bullet coda(only Gulda
is comparable in tempo). At the legendary Carnegie Hall live
1960, the performance is said to be more pressing and
magnetic(Columbia LP-released but Richter himself asked it
deleted from catalogue). Well, how was the music?
His another face can be seen at the complete cello
sonata with Rostropovich(Philips). At this recording, Richter is
more eminent than Rostropovich. Slava's technique is perfect,
music very concentric, and his claim well-balanced with
Rostropovich's (too big) scale. Richter's 'complete recording' is
only 2 works(another is only Bach's WTC). The recording sessions
are about 2-year-long, but all of the 5 works are at very high
level. Undoubtedly, his piano part is inferior to no other
pianist.
In the solo works, Bach's WTC is one of the
representative recording of his. But I think the bomb-like
Schumann's Symphonic Etudes is better to know his personality.
His Schubert is sometimes disputable, but Schumann nearly
unanimously praised, which I agree to. This hard-boiling pianist
totally controls Schumann's capricious frames, and freely makes
use of his power on a large scale. Other recordings are concerto
with Matacic(EMI) and Sanderling(DG), Fantasy(EMI), Sonata No.2,
Papillon, Jests from Vienna(EMI, live), Humoreske and extracts
from Fantasy pieces(Melodiya), Abegg variations, Novelleten,
Toccata(DG), Various works op.99(Melodiya), etc. Any of these are
near must.
The next recommendable records are Beethoven's
sonatas of early and middle age, recorded at many label(RCA,
Philips, EMI, Melodiya, etc.). Except his latest year recordings,
all powerfully appeal Richter's individuality and power. I cannot
miss Schubert's sonatas. Wanderer Fantasy and No.13 D.664(EMI)
have already settled as a reference, and many recordings - Nos.
9,11,13~17,19,21(Melodiya), No.18(Philips) - made him a pioneer
and expert of Schubert. In special, I recommend No.17 and 21, and
the latter would puzzle everyone. Beethoven's
variations(Melodiya) and Diabelli variations(Philips, live) also
good.
I want to note his next concerto recordings - Brahms
No.2 with Leinsdorf(RCA), Rachmaninov No.2(DG), Beethoven's
Triple concerto(EMI), Liszt's Nos. 1 & 2(Philips),
Grieg(EMI), Brahms No.2, Bartok No.2, Prokofiev No.5(EMI, all
with Maazel), Dvorak(EMI). All of them are individual and
representative ones of the same works, which will satisfy you
enough. The famous Tchaikovsky No.1 with Karajan(DG) is not
favored by me - I prefer Gilels or Horowitz because I think the
grandeur extravaganza is the essence of this work. More notable
concerto recordings are Bach No.1(Melodiya), Beethoven No.1(2
times with Munch, Eschenbach; RCA), No.3(Sanderling/DG,
Muti/EMI), Glazounov, Prokofiev No.1, Saint-Saens No.5(Melodiya),
Schumann, Prokofiev No.5, Mozart No.20(DG), and No.22(EMI).
His
live recordings are very highly acclaimed. Frankly speaking, they
appeal his ebulliant face. I want to hear his legendary Carnegie
Hall debut(Columbia), which were deleted from LP catalogue by
Richter's intention. But the 1958 Sofia recital(Philips) is on catalogue. The sound is never good,
but the music is burning the concert hall by its overwhelming
power and tension. Though not solo, the successive lives with David Oistrakh at the grand hall of Moscow conservatory
between 1968 and 1972(Melodiya) are one of the best live
recordings I have ever heard. Especially in them, the Franck's
sonata on 1968 is undoubtedly the top in the parallel fusion of
the two players, tension, and vast scale. His self-control and
feelings about intuition made the performance successful in both
concert hall and record. Who can darely defy music comparable to
him? His 'defying spirit'(not only in repertoire) is worth while
to a monument to any present pianists. I recommend the lives with
Borodin SQ - Brahms's quartet No.2, and Dvorak's 2
quintets(Philips).
In the late years, Richter preferred the small hall or museum to the great hall. Because of his health and capricious frame, he often canceled the concert schedule. The concert-goers had to know the programs only by the concert pamphlet. He always tried to enhance his playing, and always full of the 'unsatisfaction to the performance of his own'. Therefore someone said him as 'The holy devil'. However, I don't agree with this. Sometimes he emphasized the other side of the music - ebulliant and fanatic, but changed it to the heavenly peaceful atmosphere shortly after. I want to suggest his nickname should be 'The satanic angel'.
Links
Paul Geffen's Sviatoslav Richter
Memoriam ; The supreme
homepage dedicated to Richter. Overwhelming. I wanted to
make Richter's discography myself, but only linked
because this is wonderful and I cannot make it at this
level. The background image of the top page is Richter's
tomb at Moscow. (I sent him an approval mail for
quotation of several anecdotes, but he never replied.
Therefore, I had no choice to go along without his
permission in making this page)(c) 2001~ , Youngrok LEE ; Link free, but please get my approval before you reuse, copy, or quote this materials.
Created ; 3rd
Aug. 2003
(Original Korean text
Created ; 16th Jun. 2001)
Last update ; 30th
Sep. 2007