Sviatoslav Richter - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata D. 960 4/6

[gkollias14]

I believe that no one can surpass Richter in Schubert and few can equal, 2 or 3. But still Richter is Richter and no one can surpass his playing, only provide with another playing and then it all depends or taste, out of the 2 or 3. If one goes ot of that then you will find the word, interest, or lack of music education or good taste...

[Kkbkkr]

Does anyone kwon which exact recording this is? On what (or which) cd('s) it appears? It seems Richter has recorded this sonata 4 times.

[chromeg]

@Kkbkkr And this is the best one

[jojobruin]

To think Schubert died short of one shot of penicillin at the age of 31... Damn you syphilis!!!!

[QubitVector]

I'm so high, and I agree. That chord, at 1:02, just hit me like a mountainous glacier, 500 miles wide and 10 miles high moving at the speed of sound.

[SugaInDaRaw]

Magnificent!

[TheRekisum]

great

[Paulo78180]

De quel CD ou enregistrement cette vidéo est-elle extraite ?

[bonsema1]

"herped the derp " haha thats new one for m

[tzjc24]

For me, this movement is the greatest thing a human being ever produced.

[organman52]

@tzjc24 Without question.

[micheng1]

In Richter's hands, music achieves heights of power and greatness rarely attained anywhere. With this piece, Richter masterfully weaves the darkness of despair and the brightness of hope so honestly that I feel I've lived a moment in Schubert's life.

[7669log]

Schubert wrote it for Richter.

[andema83]

The best version of this piece I ever heard.

[1gombro]

That is absolutely sublime- late Schubert's stuff is just exquisite. Timeless music!

[Bitemasterforfun]

can this be more?divine?

[lmalinofskyjr]

Please ignore my comment below. The correct search on Amazon.com is "Schubert: Piano Sonatas D.958, D.960 ~ Richter".  A CD containing this piece is very reasonably priced.

[pntrend]

Where can I buy this recording?

[lmalinofskyjr]

On Amazon, search for Sviatoslav Richter - Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata D. 960 4/6

However the CD is somewhat rare and priced accordingly, ca. $60 new or $20 used for the cheapest disc on which the piece appears. The original disc, S. Richter in Prague, is close to $400. used.

[slavyuu]

Richter! I love you forever....

[quinto34]

This music seem to expresses the emotions you might go through when your dying and your life passes by..your childhood, first love, loved ones, laughs, sorrow, regrets ..

This music, especially played by Sviatoslav Richter, is the most moving I ever heard. Humanity in his highest form of expression..

[lmalinofskyjr]

Within his final few days Beethoven was told three visitors, Schubert among them, had arrived and were waiting to see him and to pay their respects. Beethoven wrote in the day-book he used to communicate, "Let Schubert come first!"

[lmalinofskyjr]

@anaplastic It is worthy of note that on his deathbed Beethoven called for the scores of Schubert he had never time to study, and at last, in delight, cried "Surely a divine spark dwells in Schubert!"

[chipncharge94]

schubert at his best...

Richter at his best...

just blown away!

[KeithWhalen11]

This might be the most touching piece I have ever heard. Richter is nothing short of miraculous here.

[BassicStorm]

sadness, sadness, and at 3:18 some "new hopes"

[metphmet]

Is it the BBC live recording?

[rhizom123]

stunning.

[KallistiMusic]

Imagine being the person coughing at around 7:50, to be heard on what is undoubtedly one of the greatest recordings of all time. It is very strange, it humanises a recording that otherwise seems divine, to me this is oddly a good thing. It seems to say 'look what people are capable of'.

[kirkenes]

When Richter played Schubert, time stood still...

[Enerkhan]

Sometimes one listens to a piece performed by an artist and one starts to contemplate and weep. Sometimes a performance takes one beyond the trivial and into timeless beauty and even a timeless universality of sorts. Some art, although possessing a physical or musical form evokes in me the perfect unmanifest circle of Perfection, of Formlessness. Such is the effect on me of Richter's performance here.

[TheLurker101]

Back when music had ingenuity and real spirit

[Lactoris1]

Richter enthusiasts should be aware he recorded the 1817 Schubert B major piano sonata D575 op. 147, which other pianists have neglected. Richter is superb in slow movement in E major. In the opening movement, I favor ritards at cadences rather than a Bach-like "motor rhythm" all the way, and I would disregard pianissimo comments of some of the text editors - probably not Schubert's. A triplet that leads into the main theme ought to be audible!

[abedzadeh]

NO COMMENT, I can´t say anything about this performance because words are not enough for this sound of humanity.

From which year is this live-recording? Is there any CD of it?

[gouloum2222]

@abedzadeh yes CD of sonatas n 21 and 19. you can find it on itunes

[rubgeo]

Are you sure this is Richter's record? Where did you get it? I am asking because I have previously heard 2 versions of this sonata played by Richter in 1957 (Moscow, live) and 1979 (probably Japan, also live) - they both are just a crap when comparing to this interpretation which is the best I have ever heard!

[TheGloryofMusic]

Excellent intonation.

[klavatroniq]

this gives me the deepest feelings..this changed me...

[willistara]

Truly fascinating! Richter, THE Master, my God.

Hands SO full of expression and freedom.

He performed this with such

an intimate reverence,

full of poetry and the darkest solitude.

[lesneigesdantan]

i totally agree with you.

he is the only pianist to guide me through all my life.

and Shcubert ...the dearest and the purest with beautiful heart...

[malibumusic]

Artur Schnabel's version is also great. Richter is amazing!

[shadecross]

i think this is one of the most touching expierences ive ever had... this music goes directly to your soul... i really makes me sad :(

[GiovanniNesi]

Richter and Schubert will live forever.

This is the music of God

[wnxg4nd4lf]

3:10 - 3:30 that change is pure genius! As i see it, it's resurection! It's the final triumph of light vs darkness!

[MrRhiannonsdad]

Music of indescribable grief, but no agony, no wailing, instead distilled through to cosmic beauty. I will never tire of hearing Richter play this work of genius.

[fabio99999999]

There is no better way to spend 9:57 minutes of my life than listening to this.

[TheWonderCuban]

My grandma taught me how to play piano when i was really young, like 9 years old. I never thought that listening to Schuber after her death this year, was such a painfull but incredibly fulfilling experience...thanks for the music, video...I wasnt able to write or feel anything, really, thank you for such a pleasure...

[Kunsterfreut]

@TheWonderCuban 9 years old is not really young to learn how to play piano 4-5 years is young 9 is middleage

[awefaislfdas]

The chord at 1:02...it just begs and pleads. You can't teach that. Truly, this is essence of the divine.

[artcamelia]

an even better interpretation, also richter's, for this movement, you can listen in the final of the great movie "richter, the enigma"

[mantequillavoladora]

Why do you speak about Richter in stead of about Schubert???

[ciliaspippi]

Schubert was great, he deserves much mention and even praise, but you can not ignore that richter played this in such a way that makes it really worth listening. Some other interpretations of this movement I found were quite distasteful, whereas richter's is just right.

[felix1360]

@mantequillavoladora You're so right! Surely Richter gives a very inspired interpretation, but the source of all this emotion and beauty is Schubert.

[dragunbass]

For sure one of the very best things on youtube.

[boobtuber06]

Richter plays Schubert and one can into an altered state of consciousness... it's happened to me.

[DMAL1234]

I agree I can't get enough of ths sonata for some reason. Before my teacher, Don Walker, died a few years ago, he said "maybe Schubert was the best." I thought it was dumb at the time, but I get this weird spiritual thing happening when I hear it played so marvelously. Evgeny Kissin has a great recording of this too.

[wogandmush]

@DMAL1234 I agree. Schubert wasn't the most technically proficient composer but there's an absolutely incredibly profound beauty in some of his music that I haven't found anywhere else, at least not as strongly. It's hard to argue that he's a better composer than Brahms (let's say) but there's just something there.

[gnatural]

@wogandmush it would be wise to not even tread on the ground of who is better than who, that does not exist. you cant compare composers of this level, it like comparing apples and watermelon, which is better?

[wogandmush]

@gnatural When I said better I meant in terms of technical facility, upon which composers certainly can be compared. Forgive my clumsy wording!

[anaplastic]

@DMAL1234

"I agree I can't get enough of ths sonata for some reason. Before my teacher, Don Walker, died a few years ago, he said "maybe Schubert was the best." I thought it was dumb at the time, but I get this weird spiritual thing happening when I hear it played so marvelously."

No, no, Schubert is there, the best or not, he IS there. And it is no coincidence that RIcher plays him so well. He played him even when Schubert was rarely played. Take your teacher's words as serious, very serious

[Paulo78180]

Specially the 3 last minutes are absolutely stunning, like something out of time, out of all, something which says YES to Life !

[DMAL1234]

it's really "meet your maker" music

[afertyus1000]

yes see in his film he more or less says his life was a failure! what hope is there for us?

[kwastormayt]

he learned it from sofronitsky

and mastered it

[Paulo78180]

At 6:56, like a hope, so fabulous...

[calibardo]

I think like a dream..isn't it?

[Paulo78180]

If u want....in my opinion it's like a hope after some sad moments

[BOSOX9004]

I want this playing as I die.

[mdoub]

i want the chopin minute waltz playing when i die

[SlyFox616]

Richter plays Schubert and time stands still.

[dagadbm]

@SlyFox616 time always stand still.. you're just not aware of it most of the "time"

[jamineastwood]

@dagadbm - Youtube comments are normally quite stupid but you definitely herped the derp this time my friend.

[sam0xin]

He found THE KEY to this Sonata ! he entered to this "Planet" SO EASY...that seems creator of this MASTERPIECE was HIM, not SCHUBERT...AMAZING! GENIUS ! MASTER !

[marysiaslawek]

it's simly amazing. Can you write from which recording it comes? since I can hear people coughing in a background I suppose it must be a live recording. From Carnegie?

[496883]

I think it is from the BBC live studio series in the UK. I have this CD and it is simply breathtaking.

[sam0xin]

Genius version of Andante sostenuto....

PERFECTION ! by MASTER.

[yourforte]

This is such a beautiful movement. I love the transitions Schubert makes from the minor key into the major at the end.

[jero13595]

Words can't describe the feeling one gets when listening to this. Images of the snowy and icy streets of Moscow come to mind - a sense of coldness and isolation.... Then one sees some light... UNDESCRIBABLE. Amazing tonal variety and articulation on Richter's part... AMAZING.

[caijpp]

Your review touched me just as much as Richter's playing...because it's yours...

[jero13595]

Thank you Joyce and Smith for your kind comments!

[umbrellano]

Hey, tell me, why thank both when it's clearly caijpp speaking to you.

[jero13595]

Smith sent me a private message about this as well.

[bontempo01]

I prefer this slower version than Brendel's, although Brendel is clearly a master of Schubert. For me, this is one of those moments where time stands still... and music fills the void. Masterful interpretation by Richter.

[sam0xin]

Speechless...it's surreal ....over my knowledge of vocabulary.. to express this miracle of OTHER dimensions . . . ! RICHTER = MASTER !.

[meinherzistschwer]

This music is so pathetic, but without pathos. This one and the second movement of D959 are my favorites. Nothing touches me like that. Barenboim played the D960 sonata at Heiner Müllers funeral - I wish he would play it for my exit too...

[christophleipzig]

Richter - simply the best with the River Schubert. Outstanding. This slow tempo, but with so much tension!

[aewanko300]

This movement alone signifies the whole sonata. First heard it in segments in the documentary "Richter: The Enigma". It's on Google Video having 2 parts.

[quantumx13]

Unbelievable! Thank you, I'm speechless.