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I discovered Richter when I listened to Mussorgsky's Pictures of an Exhibition on an old LP. But I really understood Richter's boldness and genius when a friend

I discovered Richter when I listened to Mussorgsky's Pictures of an Exhibition on an old LP. But I really understood Richter's boldness and genius when a friend of mine lended me a CD with Schubert's last piano sonata (D960). Just listen to the way the first bars, containing the unforgettable opening theme, are usually played by most of the best pianists: - Brendel: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TKy0Lyl4g-s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TKy0Lyl4g-s - Uchida: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l7cc2FD06FM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l7cc2FD06FM - Kovacevich: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZ8PA5_gVA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZ8PA5_gVA And now listen to Richter's version: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbJtHzaFpBQ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbJtHzaFpBQ This very slow tempo is extremely difficult from the point of view of the pianist, because it requires great control of dynamics and precision. However, it allows the listener to understand all the intricacies of the harmony and of the texture. I do not usually listen Richter's version because it requires deep concentration, but I can say I never really understood this piece until I heard Richter. Happy birthday, Maestro!

Ntrails 8y ago
I can't find the words to describe how that version made me feel. Like always on the edge of taking a breath? The tempo change is weirdly affecting. I certainly like it less, but it is very very clever. Thank you for sharing :)
woozyolliew 8y ago
I couldn’t agree more. Closely listening to his performance while attempting to learn that piece myself was transformative. The depth of feeling and the goosebumps it leaves the listener with. Transcendent.
spectramax 8y ago
I'll be honest, as an untrained listener of Classical music, I am having a hard time appreciating Richter's version from the rest except for the Tempo. I think your explanation makes sense that slower tempo allows the user to understand the intricacies of the piece. How would it sound if other artists also played at a slower tempo? Can they even play at a lower tempo or that's Richter's specialty? Are there any other aspects of Richter's version besides the tempo I should be observing? I am not trying to play a devil's advocate, I am extremely curious as why I can't appreciate it as much as others.
- ziotom78 8y ago
  It's not just a matter of slow/fast, because when you pick a tempo, this allows adopting solutions that would be awkward at a different speed. (Using a programmer's analogy, picking a tempo is like entering different branches of a very deep tree). To understand this, consider bars 185ff in the development section. Here, after a long passage where another theme dominated the scene, the main theme returns two times: first in d minor, then in B-flat major. How do the pianists play this passage? - Kovacevich (https://youtu.be/MAZ8PA5_gVA?t=744 https://youtu.be/MAZ8PA5_gVA?t=744) play the d-minor and the B-flat phrases quite in the same way. - Brendel (https://youtu.be/TKy0Lyl4g-s?t=443 https://youtu.be/TKy0Lyl4g-s?t=443) and Richter (https://youtu.be/ZbJtHzaFpBQ?t=983 https://youtu.be/ZbJtHzaFpBQ?t=983) play the second one much softer than the first, as if the B-flat phrase were a distant echo, or a timid answer, of the d-minor one. - Uchida (https://youtu.be/l7cc2FD06FM?t=812 https://youtu.be/l7cc2FD06FM?t=812) plays both occurrences very softly as if the composer wanted to remind the listener of the long-forgotten theme. What I am trying to show here is that, apart from speed, there are many other subtle ways a pianist expresses what the composer meant. This kind of nuances can be very hard to spot, but adopting Richter's tempo makes easier to appreciate them.
  - mykowebhn 8y ago
    I noticed that Richter also slows down the tempo very slightly when playing the B-flat phrase. Playing it much softer and slightly more slowly really accentuates the sense of nostalgia and longing I find in this movement.
stochastic_monk 8y ago
His Sofia recital is undisputedly the best Pictures recording among my classical cohort. Brendel receives no love whatsoever.

Ntrails 8y ago

I can't find the words to describe how that version made me feel. Like always on the edge of taking a breath? The tempo change is weirdly affecting. I certainly like it less, but it is very very clever. Thank you for sharing :)

woozyolliew 8y ago

I couldn’t agree more. Closely listening to his performance while attempting to learn that piece myself was transformative. The depth of feeling and the goosebumps it leaves the listener with. Transcendent.

spectramax 8y ago

I'll be honest, as an untrained listener of Classical music, I am having a hard time appreciating Richter's version from the rest except for the Tempo. I think your explanation makes sense that slower tempo allows the user to understand the intricacies of the piece. How would it sound if other artists also played at a slower tempo? Can they even play at a lower tempo or that's Richter's specialty? Are there any other aspects of Richter's version besides the tempo I should be observing? I am not trying to play a devil's advocate, I am extremely curious as why I can't appreciate it as much as others.

ziotom78 8y ago
It's not just a matter of slow/fast, because when you pick a tempo, this allows adopting solutions that would be awkward at a different speed. (Using a programmer's analogy, picking a tempo is like entering different branches of a very deep tree). To understand this, consider bars 185ff in the development section. Here, after a long passage where another theme dominated the scene, the main theme returns two times: first in d minor, then in B-flat major. How do the pianists play this passage? - Kovacevich (https://youtu.be/MAZ8PA5_gVA?t=744 https://youtu.be/MAZ8PA5_gVA?t=744) play the d-minor and the B-flat phrases quite in the same way. - Brendel (https://youtu.be/TKy0Lyl4g-s?t=443 https://youtu.be/TKy0Lyl4g-s?t=443) and Richter (https://youtu.be/ZbJtHzaFpBQ?t=983 https://youtu.be/ZbJtHzaFpBQ?t=983) play the second one much softer than the first, as if the B-flat phrase were a distant echo, or a timid answer, of the d-minor one. - Uchida (https://youtu.be/l7cc2FD06FM?t=812 https://youtu.be/l7cc2FD06FM?t=812) plays both occurrences very softly as if the composer wanted to remind the listener of the long-forgotten theme. What I am trying to show here is that, apart from speed, there are many other subtle ways a pianist expresses what the composer meant. This kind of nuances can be very hard to spot, but adopting Richter's tempo makes easier to appreciate them.
- mykowebhn 8y ago
  I noticed that Richter also slows down the tempo very slightly when playing the B-flat phrase. Playing it much softer and slightly more slowly really accentuates the sense of nostalgia and longing I find in this movement.

stochastic_monk 8y ago

His Sofia recital is undisputedly the best Pictures recording among my classical cohort. Brendel receives no love whatsoever.