Sviatoslav Richter - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata D. 960 1/6

[H1dden1s]

Ugghhh now I have to listen to the whole sonata, and I'm gonna have to endure an emo journey

[Bigbug123456]

This is the most sensitive, touching, and pleasing interpretation I have ever heard..Thank you maestro Richter.....

[gauja89]

Am I the only one who thinks Richter looks a bit like John Malkovich...?

[hobbes186]

@gauja89 Actually yes you are right definitely! but I rather like to say Malkovich looks like Richter

[fisc05]

Compare this to Claudio Arreau's interpreation! A. is also a master but wow - Richter's interpretation is much more lyrical, sensitive, gripping!

[jhutch1463]

@hearts0ngs I would have agreed with you in the past, but not since I had radiation on my throat. BTW it is 3 months of total discomfort and screws things up even after recovery. May my words today be sweet and tender, for tomorrow I may have to eat them.

[hearts0ngs]

@jhutch1463 I'm sorry about my comment, and I've now removed it. Of course I meant it as a joke, out of frustration regarding noisy concert audiences. But in retrospect, it wasn't 'right speech' for me to make a joke like that.

[hearts0ngs]

As well as such deeply expressive playing, some of the legato in this performance melted the air it was so sweet

[OrangeSodaKing]

@Th0masWarner Lupu is amazing... I heard Ax play it live, he also does an amazing job with it.

[jojobruin]

Every goddamn piece he touches, he imbues such sublime humanism - an innate vulnerability and sensibility. The King of Songs couldn't have played this any better.

[monk2516]

Why so slow? The key word is 'in search of lost time'.

[qwertical]

Wait.... who has criticised Richter for his rhythm? Richter IS the master of rhythm.

[jlynem]

@Th0masWarner I heard Lupu play it live a few months ago. Absolutely amazing. I was so caught up in each passing moment  of the piece, so rightly played, that I forgot he was even there.

[HANNIBAL1936]

@FirstPublicChannel: ha ragione, ma ci mancherebbe pure che i tempi fossero obbligatori per gli interpreti! Un esempio estremo di velocità esecutive ce lo offre il secondo tempo dell'op. 111 di Beethoven; Bakhaus corre come il "Settebello", mentre Solomon sembra non avere fretta, ma proprio nessuna fretta. Il risultato è che il primo impiega metà tempo circa ! Bisognerebbe sentire cose ne pensa l'autore, per per ora la cosa non è fattibile...dunque siamo noi gli arbitri.

[HANNIBAL1936]

Richter va preso così com'è. Ovviamente non è infallibile neppure lui nella scelta dei tempi. A me -- ma non conto nulla -- sembra troppo lenta questa scansione del primo tempo: si perde la tensione drammatica. Però nella Sonqata op. 42 è un Padreterno...come volevasi dimostrare che l'interpretazione non è una scienza esatta!

[FirstPublicChannel]

@HANNIBAL1936 io lo trovo bellissimo invece. Poi è "Molto moderato", e il tempo non è scritto alla metà, come tutti lo suonano.

[stpd1957]

That is a wonderfully slow and beautiful interpretation, thanks for posting it.

[yonoid818]

Looking at that picture, I thought "Hmm, he kinda looks like John Malkovich. Hey, they should make a movie about Sviatoslav Richter starring John Malkovich!" lol

[BERTELONI]

@yonoid818 I guess too! John Malcovich rocks!

[TheCannibalHaddock]

I thought Sofronitsky's performance was good, but this is something else. I think this justifies the word for perfect. How i wish i could shake the hand of Richter!! What an accomplishment!! And of course, also very thankful to Schubert!

[tzjc24]

I feel sorry for people who only know the pop music industry, and think they have heard beautiful songs before. Nothing can truly move you as much as classical music can.

[nevertheless123]

@tzjc24 well said.

[driemaaldrommels]

my god this is slow.....and still...my god, how Beautiful!!!

[SuperUkrainian10]

during live concerts why is there always one person who coughs???>_<

[Myau76]

Is this a live recording? 31 november 1961?

[iplongnin]

Oh, there are different ways to the ultimate goal of music.

[rhizom123]

"deconstructed" in a marvellous way.

[platmosic]

I am actually not smart enough to post here, but anyway... this is call moving!

btw anyone noticed the Piano is sharper (opposite of flatter) than usual?

[Ruimanuk]

Vladimir Horowitz once said: "Of the Russian pianists, I like only one, Richter."

Although Master Horowitz is a genius, I just couldn't agree more.

[davidjb100]

Quite possibly one of the finest performances in Richter's career! This is how Schubert was meant to be played. Thank you for uploading.

[LOHCWijf14]

I prefer it a bit faster, but because of this pace, he makes every note come out perfectly. Eccelent!

[AnnMarry19]

marvelous :)

[lewars1912]

Sublime playing.

[BugaDotCom]

tempo is perfect!

[advisorC101]

My word... What an EXPLOSIVE performance. This man is absolutely magnificent.

[MrPakired]

They sometimes criticise Richter because he is too slow, sometimes because he is too fast; I think that he often is "just in time"!

[willistara]

At any speed, he shows amazing technical

and artistic abilities with tone always clear:

master at his wondrous gift of suspending

time and pounding with such

elemental fiery energy

that his passion is extremely palpable.

A true masterpiece.....

[ThePandoralulu]

amazing

[Lity10]

The starting part sounds a bit like titanic...

Dum..dum..da-dum-dum, da duuuum dum dum...right?

[ironledtallicafloyd9]

richter is amazing but he looks like a bum in this pic.

[BERTELONI]

@ironledtallicafloyd9 Looks like John Malcovichy american actor I guess.

[TheLamsing]

Il n'y a pas plus magique interprétation que celle de Richter. La tristesse est là comme l'a certainement voulu Schubert. Merci Mr. Richter.

[loboris1995]

@TheLamsing En effet il y a pas plus magic,mais il y en a qui est aussi magic(Sofronitsky^^)

[vanderbilt887]

Profoundly beautiful, this really moves me

[morvensky]

He got the tempo down.

[stefthe80]

its molto moderato, so its supposed to be that slow

[michsmlo]

@stefthe80 This is really beautifully played. But I think "molto moderato" is supposed to be a bit faster than this? (it's supposed to be faster than "andante", which better describes the tempo here, agree?)

In any case, if this is what Richter thought was right, then it IS. Transcendental music here.. thx for it!!

[yilingseele]

First time I hear found it is little bit slow but the more I hear the more I like it

I like his intepretation of Schuber's last sonata ,each note speaks . It is a great historical recording . Thank You

[alexilmagnifico]

my mentopr told me once, and I believe in it a lot... ''in order to understand an interpretetion you must listen to it at least 15 times''

: )

and itr stands... :D for me at least xD

[embenadorfinearts]

Finally an interpret who takes the time to breath with music and keeps the tension going. Supremme touch. Thank you for psoting thsi beautiful video of S. Richter !

[otterhouse]

Nice on it's own right, but it has become a benchmark for al these pianist after him to s-l--o---w----d-----o------w--­-------n even more... And I have beome a bit allergic for that. No, rather the Clara Haskil performance from 1951...

Greetings,

Rolf

(on Twitter as @otterhouse )

[caijpp]

This is definitely not what I expected his Schubert to sound like...yet on the other hand, this is much more alive, not merely the beat of a drummer, but the irregular pulses of a living being. For a while, I thought that he freed Schubert, but then...Schubert becomes more distant.

[ClassicalMusicReview]

Dear Joyce,How did you expect this to sound?

To me this conceptually owes a lot to Yudina's Schubert while remaining true to aspects of his faithful Arte-Deco aesthetic in constructing longlines and even phrasings.

Personally I feel this rhetoric is cooped up a lot here.One example is how he handles the section after the beginning of the third minute with the SAME affect as the section before it.

[caijpp]

Dear Smith, I expected anything but Richter here. His later interpretations of Schubert are some of the most self-effacing attempts I've ever encountered. Here he is only half-way.

[marlylovesjewels]

If you want to hear it played so slowly it sounds comatose, listen to the Maria Yudina. I find Richter's playing of this absolute perfection.

[yourforte]

I've never heard the 1st movement of this sonata played so slowly but it sounds wonderful

[sam0xin]

It's not slowly at all, it's just well done WITHOUT PANIC ......

[yourforte]

Of course it's slow. But wonderful, nevertheless.

[christophleipzig]

Yes, this is "molto moderato".

[sam0xin]

Thank you christophleipzig ! Some people need to learn tempo marks...but it couldn't help them as they without of most important thing...calls IMAGINATION !

[kellnergram]

a bit hard getting used to the opening tempo, so much slower than most other versions, but once past the opening first repeat, you get a sense of just how profoundly musical, thoughtful and feeling is the performance. Richter exposing elements of it I'd never registered before. I'd love to have this on CD or better yet find it in a used record store in the original Czech (supraphon?) cover. Does anyone know if it was issued on disc at some point?

[kcostell]

Is this particular recording available anywhere on CD?

[mltube]

There are 4 or 5 different Richter's D960 CD recordings that at some time were issued on different labels. You can safely get any of them. The one, which is currently available, I believe, is from Aldeburgh on BBC.

[heot2008]

Regis 1972 RCC 1049 get it from Crotchet webshop.... great CD

[iinocent123]

According to a radio broadcast about this, Richter was in a mood so deeply depressive that he played like that. I do agree with this, just listen to it and other performers and you will feel how sad this record sounds compared to others.

[davidsch87]

Unfortunately unlike Rubinstin but like Kissin, Richter, in my opinion, has the right tempo. Great recording.

[tristankovic]

I heard it last night in bed, with my girlfriend besides me.

Hmmmmm

[saimacc]

When was this performed and recorded?

[aewanko300]

In Prague, 1972.

[seaio18]

I couldn't understand why this version was never uploaded. Great job, this is one of myn favourites!