Throughout a life dedicated to music, Sviatoslav Richter maintained a stubborn silence about his own ideals and aspirations. In this book he opens up his heart, both in an exceptional interview with Bruno Monsaingeon (renowned for his documentary films), and in his own private music journals, which he kept for nearly 30 years. Richter recounts what it was like to be an "artist of the people", his meetings with Russian performers and composers - Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Gilels, Prokoviev, Shostakovich - and his rise to international acclaim. The pianist's personal journals constitute an unparalleled witness to the music of our time. He notes with precision, humour and clarity, his reactions to concerts, operas, fellow musicians, even his own recordings. These are the private thoughts of a nonconformist, one of the greatest performers of the century, and one whose life was bound inextricably to the history of the USSR.
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Editorial Reviews
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"'To Richter (no first name necessary), warm greetings to the best planist in the Soviet Union - indeed in the whole world.' Prokofiev"
About the Author
Bruno Monsaingeon has made documentary films about Glenn Gould, Yehudi Menuhin, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, David Oistrakh and Victoria Postnikova. His film of Richter, on which this book is based, his received high acclaim.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
".....no rebel, merely refractory.",
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This review is from: Sviatoslav Richter (Hardcover)
When I first purchased this book, I did not own any of Sviatoslav Richter's piano recordings. I had of course heard about his cult following, and was aware that Monsaingeon had made a documentary about him, on which this book was based. My decision was based solely on reading a few excerpts where the "voice" of Richter, as edited by Monsaingeon and translated by Stewart Spencer, comes through loud and clear. Something so intrigued and captivated me about this paradoxically opinionated yet reticent, enigmatic yet humble, complex yet simple "mystery" character, that I impulsively bought, read, and fell in love with this book. I have now enjoyed it for over 8 years and have yet to tire of discovering new insights on the subjects covered, or of revisting favorite passages. In guiding the potential purchaser toward making their own decision, I offer 3 very brief quotes.
1. "This book is in no way a biography." Monsaingeon, page xxvii Those looking for "just the facts", the big events, and insight from friends and relations will be greatly disappointed. In his introduction, Monsaingeon goes into great detail about how difficult it was to coerce Richter into talking about anything (the proverbial "pulling teeth") before finally winning his hedging, circumspect confidence. When at last he opened up, Richter shares what could best be described as his "selected memoirs", and his thoughts and feelings on what he was willing to talk about. 2. "But it's not important, it has nothing to do with music." Richter, page xxxii Music was by far Richter's greatest love and consuming passion. There are 9 chapters of first-person continuous narrative compiled from 2 years of recorded conversations between Monsaingeon and Richter, and the lion's share is simply about music. This is followed by Richter's personal notebooks, written between 1970 and 1995, where he describes his reactions to concerts he has attended and recordings he has listened to. This second part is the most fascinating of the two, a personal diary transcribed for posterity of his candid thoughts on his favorite subject. There is relatively so little about people, places, events, or "the business" that it's almost not worth mentioning. 3. "The truth is the truth, but ultimately it's of secondary importance, I think, when you find yourself face to face with such a giant of music." Richter, page 374 Richter was speaking in this passage about violinist David Oistrakh, but I can't think of a better way to sum up what this book is all about. Those who approach with personal agendas will not be happy. Many of Richter's opinions will be considered greatly offensive. I am thankful for the work, time, and dedication Monsaingeon put in to allow Richter to share what was most important to him so readers can decide for themselves. A true definitive biography will be very different and has yet to be written, but in some ways this book has rendered such efforts irrelevant. And for those who are wondering, I have now heard and enjoyed Richter's magnificent pianism.
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