Sviatoslav Richter plays Bach Fantasia & Fugue in A Minor

[silviadonati1]

Straordinario...da piangere per ciò

[iguarni]

@silviadonati1 commento perfetto!

[sirshitsalot007]

it's Bach, bitch.

[doddsalfa]

Bachter

[luzsorial]

Magnifico!!

Grazie.

Luz

[csounder]

what's the BWV number?????

[artpieful]

@csounder BWV number is 944 - as writen in the annotations :)

[fronesis7]

H-e-r-m-o-so Bravo!

[gouloum2222]

haha interesting fantasia. this work (including fugue of course) is amazing and amazingly played. seriously VIVA RICHTER

[TokyoFreeze79]

3 people that saw this upload lost theirs families when a piano fell on them.

[spartan29065]

Bach is the world's smartest composer and Richter is the world's smartest composer...sadly, they are all dead. now listen to Kissin

[RemovdSande11]

@spartan29065

I think you mean Richter is the world's smartest pianist?

[Natalotos]

@RemovdSande11

I think it was the best. I listened to him many times at concerts in Moscow, the hall of the Conservatory. Even his record is impressive, but the live performance was spectacular.

[RemovdSande11]

@Natalotos

wish I could have heard him live myself. Too bad he passed away before I reached the age of 7. Also wished to have seen Rubinstein and Horrowitz play. Glad we have so many video's left!

[rasmoujin]

@RemovdSande11 Who, Bach or Richter? Just kidding...

[99hoolio]

@spartan29065 Never understood the attraction of Kissin. Doesn't seem to have any tone. Certainly a very different pianist to Richter.

[gonrolgonrol]

@99hoolio Well Kissin is technically outstanding. For example his interpretation of Feux Follets is quite remarkable.

[stagesix6]

For real, Bach is the greatest. He invented the western music!

[AntipovSvyatoslav]

I criticise many pianists, but Richter is genius! Thank you for uploading

[jiveloxoff]

He was the son of Bach, the prodigal son from him ... Oh God, give me a little insight to understand Your metaphysical mazes!!

[BassicStorm]

Richter i loveeee youuuuuu

[pat40d]

One million stars! Superb! God bless Richter! Maybe Bach and Richter are playing to The Lord now!

[bontempo01]

Those opening rolled chords just sent shivers down my spine. Grandious performance.

[BESSAWISSA88]

Crazy 

[efitzger76]

Wow. I've heard this piece hundreds of times, and each time it's a one word summary with Richter at the helm...must be nice to have two right hands!

[paulostroff99]

Brilliant! TY truecrypt

[cattleman6420012000]

Superb.

[CanadaPisces]

A wonderful performance! Thank you for the posting, Andre.

[Herur22]

@CanadaPisces

Great performance. Thank you, James, for sharing and thank you, truecrypt, for posting.

[MusicStreamInTheWind]

@CanadaPisces Beautiful! Thank you James!

Thanks to truecrypt too!

[plutarco7890]

@CanadaPisces many thanks for sharing

[PowerofTrueInsight]

This performance is stimulating, soothing, tickling and hypnotizing all at the same time.

Though 13 years ago entering a long sleep, S. Richter, you remain a living master.

[karlad12]

Magnificent!

[GB4ManU7fan]

whoa....just...whoa

[baxuashvili]

esta es la hóstia chicos, hay que escucharlo atentamente

[MyMasza]

de acuerdo!

[mrmelaluka]

bahahahaha! and ppl say cage writes too many notes.

[elenashutkevich]

Super !! thank you!!!

[iguarni]

He is a legendary pianist in music history!!! Wordless!

[tzeleustremlennost]

Я периодически  слушаю эту вещь Рихтера для того, чтобы очиститься , возле него всё становится на место. Иногда кажется, что в мире не существует добра и правды, а его послушаю .... и успокаиваюсь, как возле родной матери или близкого учителя.

[ANTiRussia1]

@tzeleustremlennost eto [vesh] ne rixtera

[princenosiatajansen]

bach is different ^^

debussy, chopin, beethoven, mozart, ..... LERNED BACH!!!

Bach is it:D

the music, a kind of

[revizorsb]

Sur quel gravure CD trouver cette pièce dans cette interprétation? Je ne parviens à en trouver la trace. Merci

[organman52]

This makes glenn gould look like the beginner that he was.

[morvensky]

beginner don't have: an outstanding technique and profound and original artistry. Richter had both of those as did Gould.

[advisorC101]

Absolutely wonderful.

[meredith21846]

Amazing fingers!. Such clarity given the maelstrom of notes.

[shadecross]

breathtaking :O

[sarbiewskiego]

Как будто Бог играет

[sarbiewskiego]

..et si Dieu était là, présent en l'homme qui vit la musique?

sans aucun doute

[revizorsb]

Trop beau pour être vrai, le souffle du compositeur, le relai de Richter...et si Dieu était là, présent en l'homme qui vit la musique?

[iguarni]

Maybe on of the best fugue ever written for harpscord by Bach with C sharp major BWV 848 and G major BWV 860.

[sbrodetskiy]

This performance cures impotency.

[koliatima]

Magnifique!!

[Biff947]

I heard the BWV 543 was based off of this piece.

[Lemonizm]

There is no playing as sincere as Richter's. It may often appear "unrefined and rought, but in truth it just lacks extraneous and superficial quilities. Its brutally sincere, just how music was meant to be played.

[baxuashvili]

¡¡¡¡si señor!!!!!

[analihilator]

i am learning this, i will have it memorised in a week.

[kierkegaardrulez]

Looks like it's taking you longer than you thought...

[iguarni]

WORDLESS. Sviatoslav Richter must be considered one of the best pianist ever in history!!!!!!!!!

[morvensky]

He is and that is not without reason.

[SubtilitasExplicandi]

This is one of the most dramatic fuge I have ever heard. Main theme of Bach's piano works "can be found" in existential reflections of Kierkegaard. The second voice in this composition heroically "try to escape" from "spectre of death".

[lnajt]

What the hell are you talking about?

[IgorTheClown]

I understand you completely. Kierkegaard is very close to me. Perhaps it is the other way around: Kierkegaard drew inspiration from this piece?

[wcbroccoli]

Stop!!

[indigoblue555]

to SubtilitaExplicandi - .....too subtle :)

[TheLurker101]

A Masterpeice

[weikko79]

What year is this from?

[truecrypt]

1948

[ohogobongo]

Its from 68 I remember

[truecrypt]

Richter's discography doesn't mention the recording of BWV 944 in 1968.

These are known recordings:

* (Moscow, 14 Oct 1948)

- Melodiya D 17703/4 (10") or D 030267/8 (LP) or 25178 (CD)

- BMG/Melodiya [ Japan ] BVCX 4051 (CD)

- Urania SP 4208 (CD)

- Andromeda ANDRCD 5038 (CD)

There is also a video made in 67-68 - it's available on YT.

[Coixxman]

How many voices in that fugue?

[sinafallahzadeh]

there are 3 voices.

[Neishapour]

A genius interpreting another genius's creation. I am glad I got to hear this before time is up!

[polymath7]

I heartily agree with your comment, Neishapour, but I don't understand you use of the phrase "before time is up".

Did you mean you're glad you got to hear Richter's performances be fore you die?

[Neishapour]

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: not all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

Ah, Love! Could you and I with Fate conspire To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire, Would not we shatter it to bits and then Re-mold it nearer to the hearts Desire!

Omar Khayyam Of ...

[fas11030]

Um... Yeeeaa I never thought of it that way.......

And, Sviatoslav is a great pianist and this is an excellent composition. Nice recording.

[Coixxman]

What a virtuoso. This is just crazy

[blogger314]

simply splendid!

[magaloff1]

Thank you for posting this masterpiece!

[frankkkappa]

Hammering is not playing the piano !

[truecrypt]

Well said...

But how do you define "hammering" and where did you find it here?

[diditrich]

No, indeed, hammering is hammering, it's what a carpenter does. Oh! I just understood the irony! You're so sharp!

[indigoblue555]

to frankkkappa - even being respectful of personal taste I dare say this is not hammering as far as this piece is concerned.

[diditrich]

Did the piano survive this recording?

[nemethlevi]

I can't stop listening to it.

[ohogobongo]

me too

[ohogobongo]

me too

[nwshane]

Does Glenn Gould have a recording of this piece? I'd love to hear his interpretation of it.

That being said, Sviatlov Richter really shines in this performance. I've never thought of him as a great interpreter of Bach, but it looks like I'll have to think again.

[diditrich]

I gould like any of both recordings. But I think Gould never did, just as he never recorded the whole Art of Fugue. A great tragedy. Will there ever be an absolute piano recording of BWV 1080?

[francescaemc2]

Wow. Thanks for sharing this. Awesome!!!! Can't get enough Sviatoslav.

[FelipeBellani2]

I WANT TO PLAY THAT! I just startes practicing, I even uploaded my reading on youtube, but the more I listen to great pianists the more I doubt I'll pass the piano exams next year, I don't need to be that good, good enough would already do :-) If only piano lessons weren't so expensive, I'd give my blood for a teacher right now!

[truecrypt]

Fellipe, don't be discouraged just because you can't play as Richter! Very few in this world could do it! ;)

I can't teach you, but will gladly help you if you wish. Best of luck to you!

[analihilator]

friend, subscribe to my videos i will have an interpretation of this piece up soon, i will try to have a decent angle of finger work.

[Bachabelly]

I've always felt this fantasia and fugue opened the door for more romantic music to follow. While it remains Baroque, it definately has a more romantic nature than most of Bach's works.

To call this VERY monotonous is ridiculous. I don't think any of Bach's fugues could be considered monotonous. They are perhaps the greatest contribution to music that any composer ever made.

[diditrich]

I agree completely, brilliant comment.

[Whyolin]

plays like a bear.....

:-)

[CeaserXIX]

But, as it is well known, bears are very very talented; 5 starts from me.

[thegoddescomposer]

beautifulll thank you so muchhh for this gifttt

[ArtemisOB3]

there is no other way to describe this music but saying "this is Bach"

[diditrich]

Yeah... but there is so much of the yet to come Beethoven there. Bach is never apreciated as the visionary he was.

[analihilator]

yes, and how about BWV 904, der fantasie chromatique. the man prefigured both the classical and romantic periods

[aldebussy]

I like his Well-tempered Clavier, though this sounds VERY monotonous. It could be the quality of the recording because I am a huge fan of his spirited, Romantic Bach playing.

[LMJ314142]

Aaahhhh! *swoon*

[paulostroff99]

Superb! Bravo! TY.

[gabledvoid]

My mom called me that my dad died in cancer today. I'm 12 thousand kilometers away from my family and haven't seem them for 9 months. This music is... no way I can say anything close to what this music is like. As Helmut Walcha put it: " After experiencing Bach, people feel there is meaning to life after all."

[truecrypt]

My deepest condolences to you...

Let this music to be a consolation. You father lives in you. You must live your life so he would be proud for you. Time to live, time to die... Remember your father!

[gabledvoid]

I will. Thank your for your kind words!

[kandutery]

sorry man. :(

[indigoblue555]

to gabledvoid - I've experienced such a loss

for both my mum and dad for the same fatal disease-

I just can say that this heavenly music will make you feel even closer to him wherever you are wherever he is =

Not just words,believe me.

[efitzge76]

I suggest his mass in B minor.

One of my favourite Bach pieces - what a masterpiece.

[flute1982]

can somebody upload this piece?

[analihilator]

i will do it.

[indigoblue555]

to gabledvoid - B

[astronomo16]

I dont know what say, if Bach is musician or mathematics.

[LMJ314142]

He was a member of a secret mathematical society, you know. So he's both. :)

(Disclaimer: Not 100% sure about the secret part. Information may have been taken from WikiPedia. Use at you own risk.)

[ThW51]

this is music.

spine-tickling :-)

[indigoblue555]

abs.agree - speechless =

[suicide1112]

A monster of a man with the fingers of flowers.

[efitzge76]

Well said.

His Bach is my favourite; I especially love the English and French suites Richter recorded. I will add that Lipatti has some excellent Bach recordings as well that I enjoy listening to (partitas come to mind).

Of all the pianists, I would like to meet Richter most (sad it's not possible) - to perhaps play something for him. He really did give everything he had to music.