Sviatoslav Richter. Legendary Concert in London

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Sviatoslav Richter. Legendary Concert in London 

Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) was, unquestionably, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.

A complicated and temperamental man, Richter strictly avoided being filmed. The circumstances of this Barbican recital were far from ideal: Richter, who was known to cancel concerts at a moment’s notice, was apparently unaware until shortly before the concert that it was to be filmed. After a considerable and heated discussion, he agreed to the filming on the condition that no camera would be in his field of vision. 

This challenge was overcome at the expense of the film crew, who were accustomed to expending thousands of watts of lighting power when televising such an event. Richter insisted on restricting the lighting to a single 40-watt bulb, focused not on him, but on his music. This eccentric lightening was unconventional even without cameras present, but it was his standard practice at concerts, as he wanted to focus maximum attention on the music and de-emphasize the importance of the performer. It also served to mask his use of a score, a practice he implemented in 1979 after a memory lapse at a concert.

When the great Sviatoslav Richter took the stage carrying his own music and accompanied by a page-turner at this recital at London's Barbican Centre in March 1989, he resembled a distracted John Malkovich -- balding, bespectacled, and bored looking -- so unsuspecting members of the audience might have been forgiven for thinking that they were in for a dull evening. 

But though he looked like an accountant performing by the light of a small lamp, Richter played like a god. 


 
The three Mozart sonatas that open the concert, the E flat major (K. 282), the C major (K. 545), and the A minor (K. 310), are all poised, polished, and supremely joyous, even the tempestuous A minor Sonata. With a minimum of motion and a maximum of musicianship, Richter creates performances of pellucid beauty. Even better are his two sets of Chopin's etudes, four from Op. 10 (Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4) and four from Op. 25 (Nos. 5, 6, 8, and 11). 

After the inwardness of his Mozart performances, the extroverted flamboyance of his Chopin is surprising and staggering. From the gargantuan arpeggios of Op. 10/1 to the thunderous octaves of Op. 25/11, Richter's technique is simply astounding. Though he restricts his movements to what is absolutely necessary, every piece receives a performance executed with supreme virtuosity and filled with soulful poetry. Richter closes the Barbican recital with a towering performance of Chopin’s Étude, Op. 25/11 in A minor, which brings the house down, highlighting his legendary artistry.

 

Contributors

Richter, Sviatoslav, 1915-1997 Performer

Juban, Pierre-Martin

Sturrock, Donald

Piesis, Gunnar

Medici Arts  (Firm)

Idéale Audience International

British Broadcasting Corporation

Centre national de la cinématographie (France)

 

Contents/Summary

    Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791. Sonatas, piano, K. 282, E♭ major.

    Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791. Sonatas, piano, K. 545, C major.

    Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791. Sonatas, piano, K. 310, A minor.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 1.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 2.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 3.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 4.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 6.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 10.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 11.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 10. No. 12.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 25. No. 5.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 25. No. 6.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 25. No. 8.

    Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849. Etudes, piano, op. 25. No. 11.

    Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943. Etudes-tableaux, op. 39. No 3. (Bonus)

Subject

Sonatas (Piano)

Piano music.

Genre

 Concert films

Title Variation

Mozart, Chopin

Event

Filmed at the Barbican Centre, London, 29 March 1989; broadcast by BBC on 28 October 1969 (bonus)

Sources:

searchworks.stanford.edu
allmusic.com
blog.naxos