Svyatoslav Richter was born in Ukraine on March 20, 1915. His father came from a family of businessmen, but earned a living as organist and choir director in Odessa. He brought up his son alone, and Svyatoslav had had no regular pianistic training at a conservatory when he began working as rehearsal pianist at the Odessa Opera at the age of fifteen. His exceptional talent enabled him to make his concert debut in 1934. His talent was recognized by Heinrich Neuhaus, the famous Russian piano teacher with German roots who included him in his master piano class at Moscow Conservatory in 1937. Neuhaus’s influence can hardly be overestimated. He trained him in enormously subtle dynamics, pronouncedly Romantic playing with certain composers and great reserve with others. In 1986 in a rare interview, Richter stated that Neuhaus had made his hands freer and softened his tone. On this release, Richter performs Beethoven alongside the USSR Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Philharmonic.
Works:
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Beethoven: Bagatelles (11), Op. 119
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Beethoven: Bagatelles (6), Op. 126
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Beethoven: Bagatelles (7), Op. 33
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No. 2
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 No. 1
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102 No. 2
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Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
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Beethoven: Eroica Variations, Op. 35
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 No. 3
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique'
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 1
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14 No. 2
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Op. 22
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 'March Funebre'
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 'Tempest'
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 'The Hunt'
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49 No. 1
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49 No. 2
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
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Beethoven: Rondo for Piano & Orchestra in B flat major, WoO 6
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Beethoven: Rondo in C major, Op. 51 No. 1
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Beethoven: Rondo in G major, Op. 51 No. 2
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Beethoven: Rondos (2), Op. 51
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Beethoven: Variations (6) for Piano on an Original Theme in F major, Op. 34
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Beethoven: Variations (6) on an original theme 'Die Ruinen von Athen', Op. 76