Sviatoslav Richter - A Study in Dimension
When I think of Sviatoslav (sometimes spelled Sviatoslov) Richter, the word 'dimension' seems to crop up more often than not.
The reason, probably, is due to two aspects of his entity as one of the great pianists known to us.
First, his approach to the instrument:
He was a big man, with hands that could easily reach twelfths, making virtually all piano music of import totally accessible, physically.
His 1957 performance in a Sofia recital of "Pictures At An Exhibition" by Moussorgsky seems 'smaller' under his fingers than any pianist I know of who has performed or recorded it, in my memory. As stupendous as the titanic addenda that Horowitz gives to this gigantic composition is, I nevertheless consider it a mite less impressive than Richter's forging of this music.
Another example is on video; and that is, in the Richter biography, his performance of Chopin's Etude, Opus 10, No. 4. The piano actually appears smaller than it is, primarily due to the indescribable speed he plays this etude at, without losing the textual meaning of the piece. It is like no other performance I know of.
The other facet of this remarkable pianist was the size of his repertoire.
He himself remarked, more than once (and without a trace of ego), that he was at any time capable of producing around fifteen solo recital programs, with no repetitions of any pieces therein. I think that achievement pretty much left the other great pianists in the dust, as regards repertoire. He learned music at an astounding rate, faster than most, if not all of his pianistic contemporaries.
Personally, I get a bit depressed when I hear of such achievements, knowing what little I do; and yet, this man had an almost life-long bout with depression, what with all of his powers and achievements. Another reason to bolster my argument that the greatest mystery in life is the image I see in the mirror when shaving.
Horowitz once said that "the only Russian pianist I like is Richter."
An engrossing statement made by Horowitz, as he was extremely private about his opinions of other pianists.
The reason, probably, is due to two aspects of his entity as one of the great pianists known to us.
First, his approach to the instrument:
He was a big man, with hands that could easily reach twelfths, making virtually all piano music of import totally accessible, physically.
His 1957 performance in a Sofia recital of "Pictures At An Exhibition" by Moussorgsky seems 'smaller' under his fingers than any pianist I know of who has performed or recorded it, in my memory. As stupendous as the titanic addenda that Horowitz gives to this gigantic composition is, I nevertheless consider it a mite less impressive than Richter's forging of this music.
Another example is on video; and that is, in the Richter biography, his performance of Chopin's Etude, Opus 10, No. 4. The piano actually appears smaller than it is, primarily due to the indescribable speed he plays this etude at, without losing the textual meaning of the piece. It is like no other performance I know of.
The other facet of this remarkable pianist was the size of his repertoire.
He himself remarked, more than once (and without a trace of ego), that he was at any time capable of producing around fifteen solo recital programs, with no repetitions of any pieces therein. I think that achievement pretty much left the other great pianists in the dust, as regards repertoire. He learned music at an astounding rate, faster than most, if not all of his pianistic contemporaries.
Personally, I get a bit depressed when I hear of such achievements, knowing what little I do; and yet, this man had an almost life-long bout with depression, what with all of his powers and achievements. Another reason to bolster my argument that the greatest mystery in life is the image I see in the mirror when shaving.
Horowitz once said that "the only Russian pianist I like is Richter."
An engrossing statement made by Horowitz, as he was extremely private about his opinions of other pianists.
Labels: the enigmatic Richter
posted by LH at
1:57 PM
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