Summer

Richter

One of my favorite musicians is Sviatoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist. Richter was more than just a brilliant performer. There was something profound about his playing. Nowadays people focus almost entirely on the performer. Richter, on the other hand, provided us with a direct link to the composer, giving us a glimpse of what Beethoven and others wanted to tell us. I feel Annie Fischer was the same type of pianist.

I have a number of Richter CD's including his famous live performance in Sofia of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." I also love his interpretations of Beethoven, Schumann and Rachmaninoff.

There is a fascinating documentary about Richter. It's called "Richter, the Enigma." We learn a lot about his life. And of course, there are plenty of concert clips. Like all great musicians, Richter was very self-critical. He was not afraid to say when he had a bad performance. Worth watching.