Svyatoslav Richter, a renowned pianist of the 20th century, was largely self-taught and had survived traumatic events and restrictions on his concert tours during the Soviet era. He was widely recognized as the leading pianist of his time.
Born on March 20, 1915, in Zhitomir, Russian Empire (now Zhitomir, Ukraine),Richter grew up in Odessa. He took some music lessons from his organist father but remained largely self-taught, practicing his piano rigorously. He was an excellent sight-reader and was hired as an accompanist at opera rehearsals at Odessa Conservatory and Odessa Opera House.
At the age of 22, Richter was already an accomplished pianist, and he was admitted to Moscow Conservatory without an entrance exam, due to his obvious talent. While a student at the Moscow Conservatory, Richter performed Sergei Prokofiev's 5th Piano Concerto to great success. However, he was not informed that his father was executed by a firing squad in Odessa in 1941, upon the order of Soviet authorities.
After this painful experience, Richter became a quiet man and expressed himself through music. He never joined the communist party or its affiliations and was known for skipping compulsory political lessons and being expelled from Moscow Conservatory twice.
For political reasons, Richter was restricted to concerts only within the Soviet Union until 1959, when the "Thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. In 1960, he was invited by impresario Sol Hurok and made eight sensational concerts in Carnegie Hall. His following world-wide concert tours brought him international acclaim and unofficial status as the leading pianist.
Richter's regular stage partners were David Oistrakh, whom he knew from their childhood in Odessa, and Mstislav Rostropovich. He often performed with his wife, Nina Dorliak, a mezzo-soprano, and was especially partial to baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Richter possessed a legendary ability to memorize new musical material and play it flawlessly. He was also highly sought after as an ensemble player, and his sight-reading of a new score was impeccable, making him a highly demanded recording artist.
Svyatoslav Richter was widely recognized as the leading classical pianist of the 20th century. His live concerts and recordings belong among the highest achievements in the art of piano performance. He was admired for his ability to create magic with his piano playing and for his special presence on stage, as well as for his wit and wisdom off stage.
In his numerous concert performances, he demonstrated a rare technical finesse, exquisite phrasing, and impressive tone control. He was very serious about the quality of his piano and was known for touring with his own piano, which was maintained exclusively by his technician.
Svyatoslav Richter was the founder of several international music festivals, including the famous December Nights Festival at the Pushkin Museum of Arts in Moscow and the Music Festival in Touraine, France. In his later years, he moved from Russia to Europe and died in France in 1997.
