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By Joseph E. Romero Richter came to the attention of western publics in the 1960s, preceded by Emil Gilels's accounts of his contemporary's legendary feats at the keyboard. Although Richter was a late developer (not beginning serious tuition until 1937 at the age of 22 with the eminent pedagogue Heinrich Neuhaus, who also taught Gilels) he still went on to become one of the most unusual artists the classical music world has ever known. In fact, Richter had that rarest of musical gifts: he kept you listening long after the music stopped. In Europe, Richter was positively lionized, notably in Germany and France where he had a second home and spent considerable time. Liturgical devotion to the text, an uncanny mixture of artistic genius, and iconoclastic behavior made Richter the leading draw in Paris. After all, the idea that a pianist will pack up his instrument in a van and set off for who knows where, stop because he likes the look of a wheat field in Touraine, then notifying a couple of locals and giving a legendary performance in a barn appeals to the strong individualistic streak in every Frenchman. Of such escapades, the Festival of La Grange de Meslay was born.
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Best of Richter collection on the Net Connoisseurs of the great pianist and sophisticated collectors may navigate with some skill in this labyrinth, but the average classical music listener would find Richter's discography mind-boggling. Voracious discophiles have no doubt already painstakingly catalogued - with the aid of a relational data base - their existing Richter collection and established interpretation priorities. For others who never had the opportunity to hear Richter live or stay abreast of authorized and pirate recordings, the task ahead is rather daunting. Building a coherent Richter CD collection will require both knowledge of Richter's pianism and determination to wade through a discography cluttered with unauthorized and official recordings.
That is why Klassiknet editors thought it would be interesting and certainly more useful to readers to draw on the collective experience of piano buffs on the Internet to establish an ideal Richter discography. Net travellers are invited to submit their favorite Richter interpretations on CD or LP, with or without a brief commentary, in the language of their choice (English, francais, Deutsch). LP recommendations must be available commercially and accompanied by a distribution source. If you would like to participate in the Best of Richter Net Discography, please submit the electronic form below. Please state your name, location, as well as giving the CD or LP reference and date of the Richter recording. Authorized and unathorized recommendations on CD or LP are equally welcome as long as they are available commercially. Contributions will be accepted until 10 December and the final list published on 15 December 1997. Important : Please indicate if you would like your E-mail address published along with your selection so that other contributors can communicate with you directly. Here are a few Klassiknet favourites. We look forward to your contributions. Sofia Recital, 1958
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ARIS,
14 November 1997 - Pianist Sviatoslav Richter died in Moscow on 1
August after suffering a heart attack at the age of 82. The
Ukrainian-born pianist of German descent was one of the greatest
musicians of the Soviet era, and for many, one of the 20th century's
greatest pianists. 
