Sviatoslav Richter: Beethoven Sonata No. 20 G-major

[katerina5k]

How wonderful it must be to have hands that cooperate every time you sit down at the piano. Maybe one day, my hands will cooperate for me too instead of behaving like prosthetic limbs.

[vivascargill1]

if he was gay I want to be gay

[BarbaricEricX]

Mesmerizing.



[clodivan]

les grands "musiciens" ne meurent jamais

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

sembra così vecchio e stanco qui... mi fa quasi pena...

[WhiteAbenaki]

Surprised by what sounded like a particularly weak sonata by Beethoven, I looked up the Sonata no. 20. Turns out this and no. 19 were pedagogical pieces published by Beethoven's brother for money. Sure, maybe they have some simple charm, but I'm not sure why Richter would play this sonata in concert.

[sergess24hotmailcom]

The fact that Sonata 20 is considered as a 'weak piece' (by whom? why? b/c it's less technically challenging? then forget about quite a few of Haydn's and Mozart's sonatas) does not mean that it's an artistically weak piece, if one is capable of seeing its beauty, that is.

[HolyMotherofGrid]

Ahhhhhhhhh..... that DEFINITELY hits the spot!! Richter was a consummate professional, and his dynamics and rubato were completely enthralling. A musical giant.

[conmeomecapconmeocon]

SHe turned the pages backward because you have to repeat exactly that small "paragraph" of the song.

[g3org33r3]

Oh my gosh a video of richter! <3

[pat30d]

i would like to offer flowers to him...Roses, daisies, sunflowers...

[maestrojimbo]

Richter had a stroke in his later years so his memory was not as sharp. He often played in in dark halls with light shining on the music. It made for an eery effect - listeners could focus on the sound and mood more intensely. I like the simplicity and straight forward approach in this posting - thanks.

[maestrojimbo]

Richter had a stroke in his later years so his memory was not as sharp. He often played in in dark halls with light shining on the music. It made for an eery effect - listeners could focus on the sound and mood more intensely.

[schnittke79]

Anyone know this venue?

[maxreger100]

Culpa Mea--the piano Sonata, despite its later Opus number PRECEDES the composition of the Septet. Still, the second movement here is interesting in having the same theme as the Septet's third.

Far more developed in the Septet.

[maxreger100]

Some may not know that the second movement here was originally the 3rd movement of his Septet, Opus 20. Fascinating to see how Beethoven reworks this theme differently in this sonata.

Frankly, I prefer the septet version, but much prefer to hear Richter's artistry!

[nextren]

What a terrible page-turner. At 1:39 she turns the page BACKWARD. Richter doesn't notice, just keeps playing...

(Heh heh. Just joking, I know it's da capo.)

[hedones]

The page-turner looks like Princess Amidala in star wars and Richter looks a little bit like Chewbacca.

[bboymango]

oh man i bet hes sight reading this

[fatalfuz]

@bboymango actually richter never played a piece in public until he had learned it and dropped it at least 3 times. He claimed himself to have over 80 different programs memorized, not including chamber works. It was just that near the end of his life, he was having some problems, so he started playing with music in front of him in public.

[bboymango]

wow... thats intense.. but still.. i bet he can definitly sight read this piece with eaaase.

[guccirushgirl]

incredible how he makes it look easy !!!!!!!

i read in another Richter video that he had to be Beethoven's reincarnation and i totally agree !!!!!

Bravo !

[huangyanxi]

A really brilliant interpretation.

[JKS2macd]

no matter how old, the musician inside never dies

[ilovescarlatti]

il magnifico Richter che suona senza il consueto impeto e furore.... grandioso come sempre. Pura poesia.. sbaglio?

[MariaTheRussian]

I am learning this sonata right now. Its beautiful and Richter plays it wonderfully!

[TheNodameFan]

nice

[naruto5754]

it is said that this man was homosexual, yet married a woman he loved...???

[thunder1909]

Homosexual? Tchaikovsky maybe, but not Richter.

[cfwpiano]

Umm, Richter was definitely homosexual. He never married Nina Dorliak, she was his companion and kept up a social front for him. It was an open secret in the Russian music scene that he was gay.

[pianist007]

What difference does it make if he was homosexual or not ? He is Richter and he is irreplaceable !

[skryabyn]

well said pianist007

[cfwpiano]

@pianist007 The difference is that people here are falsely claiming he wasn't, when he was. No one cares that he's gay, but they care when people lie and say he wasn't because they're homophobic.

[iguarni]

@pianist007 it pisses me off! You are so right!!! I like woman so much but never mind if S.R. has been gay or not. I know he has been one of the best five pianist ever!

[gorgalsi]

how can you insult one of greatest pianist of the world ?? SHAME !!

[cfwpiano]

How is saying that Richter was gay insulting him?

[Mnacuspia004]

no purisms.

[cfwpiano]

Absolutely beautiful execution.

[tanaznazdel]

What's with the lady turning the pages?

[cfwpiano]

Richter had memory lapses late in his career and after that happened, he refused to play without the score in front of him. His explanation was it was not only an honest way of playing but also it is impossible to remember every piece of notation on a score.

[thunder1909]

Actually, it was due mainly to stress. I mean, do you honestly believe he can't play a 10 minute sonata from memory? He was capable of playing from memory, it's just his nerves in his later years disallowed it, causing a habit, where you said he refused to play without a score.

[cfwpiano]

You mean to tell me that someone with a repertoire of over 700 works can't have memory lapses? Richter is human. He had memory lapses and it scared him and he didn't want it to happen again, so he refused to play without the score out in front of him. No one said he couldn't remember a 10 minute sonata.

[kajohada]

i think the best is the fairy queen at his side:-))

[abuhm]

Thank you.. I like this interpretation..

[brizhir]

Thank you so much for sharing this last work from the recital! A very happy new year to you from another Richterian.