Sviatoslav Richter plays Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 #4

[jeffg2020]

If TheHanslick were right, only Germans should play German music (and Austrian), only Russians should play russian music, only the French should play Debussy and Ravel - and I guess Americans should only play Copland and Ives. A ridiculous notion.

[ragudicarne]

Dear truecrypt, whoever you are (and we're wondering my best friend and I who the hell you are since we have listened your' Pictures at an esibithion and the Symphonic Etudes which they are both more than excellent!), I hope you will survive to the age and TIME for us who love music as you! Greets form Napoli

[Sdiehl50]

No one plays Schubert like Richter. He's amazing

[TheHanslick]

I wouldn´t say inferior. From the strictly pianistic look it is, of course excelent.

(The same goes with Richter). What I am talking about is the viennese "spirit"

(or "mood") which the composer was inevitably exposed to. That is why competitors at the Chopin competition have to play Mazurkas, to show they understand Chopin. Their pianistic abilities (in this narrow sense) have nothing to do with that. Of course, this would be too long discussion for this place.

[ayanokoji0rin]

Wahhh ! So amazing ! Good work ! I love this Impromptu ! (Sorry I'm french and my english is not good ^^' )

But, I love SHUBERT !

[Natalie5f]

Richter is one of the greatest pianists of all times !

[tamuniash]

This is wonderful music, franz shubert was one of the most productive!

[Ianthe22]

I never get why ppl always start to shout "racism". First of all your origin does have an influence in your music. When that is said, all these great master remarks themselves more of their individuality and uniqueness. Richter has always been viewed as one of the deepest and most complex performers. I find the piece very "Richter", which is what makes it interesting for me. Jumps or not, frotes right or not, he studies the pages one at a time, i doubt he wouldn't play it like he would it be.

[loboris1995]

@corrridoor No ,he is the most powerfull pianiste in the world^^

[loboris1995]

I don't if schubert would imagine this pièce played like this^^

[Ceciontwoclefs]

What a discipline...

[TheHanslick]

If anyone wishes to hear the ideal performance listen to Friedrich Gulda Amadeo recording. Richter is jumping, it simply doesn¨t flow. These Russians can never play

German music (to say nothing about Viennese!)

[truecrypt]

@TheHanslick

Well... "these Russians" sounds kind of depreciatingly... Not to mention Richter (German by origin) played Schubert quite well - to say the least.

[TheHanslick]

@truecrypt Sorry for soooo late reaction. I didn´t mean to depreciate pianists because they are Russians.

(On the contrary, I adore many of them, esp. those old ones- Lhévinne, Rachmaninov, Barere .. and many of those young). What i am saying is, that their interpreation o German music is rarely capturing the German spirit.

(I listened to "your" Symph. Etudes and they are superb!!!!!). Of course this works vice versa.

[maslina10]

@TheHanslick Would Vladimir Horowitz count as a "Russian", according to your ethnic classification?

[TheHanslick]

@maslina10 of course he does, however of a different kind. He was expossed to the Western world. Similarily

Rachmaninoff and many others. However. I refer to the following generation. Esp. Rachmaninoff is marvelous and I love him very much. Music has something to do with language (for ex. upbeats in German music are not equaly felt by many Slavs ...) Schubert´s music very often requires viennese "Gemütlichkeit", that is why is Gulda, Buchbinder so natural. I can´t imagine Gulda playing Rach.

[maslina10]

@TheHanslick "I can´t imagine Gulda playing Rach"

You mean, Bach? But, he does.

[TheHanslick]

@maslina10 Of course, and I love it. Iwanted to write "Rachmaninov" but there was not enough space.

[johnnyzing]

@TheHanslick 'Ideal' is in the perception of each listener. This is the magic of music and the miracle of music. Individual connection to an artist that speaks to them. Making blanket statements concerning nationality only reflects limited thinking. I'm sure you are smarter than the above comment. Please re-think. Yet I will take your tip and check out Gulda! John-Hans Melcher

[TheHanslick]

@johnnyzing So, have you checked Gulda yet? There are more recordings: one an older disc Amadeo

(Guldaś first recordings), the other on Paradise recording "Gulda plays Schubert". Both are absolutely perfect,

I recommend to all who disagree with my comments to take one of these and compare it with Richter.

It even may not need too much experience in listening. But do it !!!!! You will discover who F. Gulda was.

[TheHanslick]

@johnnyzing 

[desolatemeadow]

@TheHanslick weak dude, Richter is one of the finest at Schubert.

[michsmlo]

@desolatemeadow IMHO, he's w/o a doubt THE finest at Schubert. His involvement and emotion simply just flowed from the heart. He just became one with the music. Is there "jumping"/technical flaws/fault of making the piece too "Richter-like"? Maybe, but they don't matter the least bit when the music touches my heart.

[Dinscripter]

@TheHanslick

Hahahahahah, what a lame comment, to say at least... hahaha

[higarmi]

@TheHanslick These Russians can never play German music?. I would say that "These Russians" have recorded many of the best versions of German piano compositions. Perhaps you need to review your understanding of how German music should be played

[voland60]

@TheHanslick I think this version is exactly Flowing, especially compared to many renditions of your country's performers. This is the most flowing performance of this piece I now know. First time I hear this piece under Richter's baton.

[maslina10]

@TheHanslick "These Russians can never play German music (to say nothing about Viennese!)"

Haven't you heard Horowitz play Schubert and Schumann, then? Is his performance inferior?

[Bret6464]

@TheHanslick OK you don't like Richter's interpretation. But Rachmaninoff, Horowitz and Gilels also performed this - surely one of them would be to your liking :-))

[TheHanslick]

@Bret6464 I know their recordings, Rachmaninoff is great, but still, my choice #1remains Gulda and probably Buchbinder. As far as The Russians go, I have also Maria Yudina - simply terrible !! Richter was a great pianist, of course, but he should hav recorded all Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Scriabin. Similarly, Gulda should have recorded all the Schubert Sonatas instead of jazz. Richter does not have good feeling for the right tempos - he plays everything either too fast or too slow.

[vova47]

@TheHanslick You could not be more wrong about Russians and German music.Listen to Benno Moiseiwitch's Schumann, Maria Grinberg's Beethoven, Neuhaus's Brahms just to name a few. This doesn't take anything away from Gulda, whom I love or other great Schubertians like Demus or Badura-Skoda. Richter is up there with the best of Schubert interpreters of all time.

[ZhengStudios]

6:14. Was that a small slip-up???? *gasp*

[dalecampbl5]

is there a richter recording of impromptu in G flat anywhere on Youtube?

[kellymackberry]

my one criticism for this is that i wish he played it a bit more legato and flowing, but it's definitely one of the better recordings of this piece. :)

[HolyMotherofGrid]

Definitely the best on Youtube for this classic and expressive (and yes, very "romantic" :-=)) piece. Richter manages to bring out such depths of emotion and expression in almost everything he does - definitely one of the VERY best pianists ever.

[Bognarfan]

I love the way Richter was able to convey such a depth of feeling when he played this piece. I did not hear that in Zimmerman's. I love Richter!

[lucycheung1]

he sure casts spells

[lucycheung1]

agreee

[kwastormayt]

richter casts schuberts spells

[MathijsGiltjes1993]

There js a vid of this where it's played by Cziffra when he was just a little boy:)

[Nimenicamine01]

from THE SOFIA RECITAL

[punkpoetry]

Richter is by far my favorite Schubert interpreter because he does full justice to the *intelectual* complexity of Schubert's music (unlike, say, Radu Lupu, who makes Schubert gentle and mellow at the expense of depth). it's nowhere more evident than in the first Moment Musical: where Lupu is merely mellow, the more aloof Richter is searching, cryptic and discursive

[punkpoetry]

lol, "intellectual" is the one word you want to spell correctly!

[ezekieloak]

"Spelling" is the one word you want to spell correctly.

[Terrdemarzielle]

I want to spell all my words correctly...

[0blacone]

@ezekieloak

Yeah - he is right, it's not intellectual you want to spell correctly, it's spelling.

[soami2u]

Love it! Such delicacy and beautiful shaping of the phrases! Richter never ceases to amaze me...I listen to every performance of his here on YouTube thinking: oh, maybe this one won't be so good...but it always is! Did Richter EVER play anything badly? Even his Chopin, which I hadn't paid much attention to, I now find original and compelling. Of course, his Schubert was always great. I especially remember his recordings of the "Wanderer" Fantasy and the posthumous C minor Sonata.

[ajpavlovsdog]

Very delightful, excellent technique - however compare to Maria João Pires...

[nico22059]

Maria Jorao Pires is nothing compared to Richter...Howeber she´s a great pianist

[meinherzistschwer]

wonderful dynamic changes

[hadokanitz]

very enjoyable. Richter plays the middle part too fast for my taste, too dramatic.

[kpunkt]

you find *this* too dramatic? do you know the Lieder (Songs) of Schubert? There is nothing more dramatic than Schubert.

[soami2u]

Exactly! Think of "Erlkoenig", for example, or "Tod und das Maedchen"....

[pianochick1]

Love it!! I play this piece and am finding a style I want to follow, and this is definitely it! Awesome!!! Richter is awesome as always!

[sam0xin]

timeless . . .MASTER.....Genius Richter !each performing of Richter is a full of poetry,passion and so theatrical . . .with brilliant virtuosity of technique! ! !

[weikko79]

Amazing! Where does this performance come from?

[truecrypt]

Sofia, 1958.

[endercinto]

simplemente maravilloso!!! Es conmovedor

[dpkaiser]

Typical Richter