Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven - Sonata no.32 in C minor, op.111 (1/3)

[Sim882]

sound errors impair this performance but it's still the best Richter i've heard on this

[Gioachino82]

N O N P L U S U L T R A !!!!!!

[4785689]

i love watching his leg on the pedal

[loboris1995]

LoL,there's a problemme of sound

[flippert0]

Exceptional!

But I also want to point to Grigory Sokolov's rendition, currently my favorite of that piece.

[dalecampbl7]

thanks richter for giving us so many live recordings, that's why you are my no.1 pianist

[portoxali]

probably the best pianist of XX century, at least by the scope of the repertoire he played masterfully, he is the best

[francescaemc2]

wish Beethoven could have heard this.Wish he could have heard anything, actually.

[chopin7tristesse]

Apparently he used bone transmission to hear. worth researching how much he must have been able to hear.

[francescaemc2]

How would one even start?

They had to turn him around to see the people applauding after he conducted his 9th symphony.

[chopin7tristesse]

the Beethoven house museum in Bonn, germany is supposed to have a large collection of hearing aids of his. I didn't see them yet. I don't know if they turned him around for applause (as in a movie?) but I read somewhere that his conducting was a bit off in timing. I presume he couldn't use the horn while conducting.

[francescaemc2]

My mother went to that museum. She studied violin in the Vienna Conservatory. My father piano in the Milano Conservatory.

Never saw a Beethoven movie... my late mama was a Beethoven expert and told me that.

My father was an amateur. She became a concert violinist and played his Concerto in Dm. Wishing you a great weekend.

francesca

[simsimoleole]

so he didn't need teaching as "99,99999%" of people need.

[simsimoleole]

a restricted attribute of genious: Playing very fast (and I really mean VERY fast) notes isn't something you teach a pupil, he can or he can't coordinate mind and fingers to play very fast. The pupil without the speed gift may never play very fast as he will always block at a certain stage. The pupil which has this gift won't need to study particular exercises for finger dexterity, he'll do it unconsciously. I guess Richter did 99% of everything involved in piano playing by gift,

[chopin7tristesse]

the extreme speed depends on the nerve action? so genetics? we know no human can move fingers as fast as a humming bird moves its wings (200/sec).

[simsimoleole]

What's your point?

[123mortimer456]

simsimoleole - Heinrich Neuhaus, Richter's teacher, confirms your assessment. Apparently lessons consisted of Richter playing an entire piece, followed by a discussion of some general musical aspects. Neuhaus felt that work on technical or musical details was completely unnecessary. Once Richter played an extremely difficult passage from Prokofjev sonata. Neuhaus asked him how he had learned it so quickly and so well. Richter responded he had studied the passage for 4 hours one afternoon.

[simsimoleole]

I just wanted to add that his father guided him as he himself says in the documentary "Richter the Enigma". Anyway, he was a genius, and all the technical problems of any instrument are born with inate "bad thinking" which become bad habits. Richter for sure didn't have problems of this kind as he was a genius, he actually says in the documentary that the main teaching he got from Neuhaus was to listen to silence. There is a comparison that may help understanding this, which is not

[PianoForteAndrew]

this from the man who claimed to never practice scales or arpeggios. how? i ask.

[truecrypt]

Richter himself was a self-learner. He didn't have any formal music education whatsoever. Even later, in the Moscow Conservatory, the only subject he studied was "piano performance class" with Neuhaus. He failed all other courses miserably - simply didn't care...

Back to your question - Richter has never played scales and exercises, but he played *a lot* of music. F.e. he could play (by memory) about 100 operas. So, understanding of music and technical skills came to him naturally...

[flute1982]

so jealous....

[chad410]

but then somebody had to have a natural talent. so it was he who was one.Hanon are a waste of time anyway.

[ciliaspippi]

Beg to differ

[chad410]

Czerny and Dohnyanni are better.

[ciliaspippi]

I agree with you, but calling Hanon a waste of time discounts him completely. He's not completely useless.

[ciliaspippi]

Yes, but even though he played *a lot*, even with my formal music education, I develop numerous flaws in my technique, so it is amazing that he managed to learn the correct technique, with a relatively flawless technique

[vstasov]

Spectacular archive! Thank you!

[lhooq21]

Thank you! Made my day!

[ArodenPianoWushu93]

all the greatest players have playeed in this arena... richter, rusbinstain,... who knows the name of this arena? why is so famous? thanks ;-)

[truecrypt]

This is a Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory... the legendary stage...

[ciliaspippi]

Do you mean the "Большой Зал?"

[truecrypt]

Yes, this is Большой Зал Московской Косерватории, i.e. Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

[GetMeThere1]

Wow! This is a GREAT ONE!

[samsonno]

Fantastic, as always!

[MagicDonDino]

*_* Amazing recital!

Merci!! =)

[pligana]

beautiful!!!

[nikolaimedtner]

Thank you!

[AnnMarry19]

thanks!

Amazing Richter and my favourite sonate :)