Stars: Sviatoslav Richter

Summary: One of the greatest pianists of all time, this film studies his techniques and powers of expression. The performances include Prokofiev's Concerto No. 5 and Brahm's Piano Concerto No. 2.

In RICHTER: THE ENIGMA, Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997), one of the greatest pianists of all time, breaks his life-long silence and allows himself to be interviewed for this autobiographical film. He evokes his wild childhood, his encounters with the great names in the music world, his performance debuts, and his activities as a concert artist in the troubled Soviet Union. Acerbic and unpredictable, Richter reveals himself here with disarming candour and humour. The programme includes previously unseen archival footage, a wealth of performance excerpts, and works by the following composers: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Saint-Saens, Schubert, Shostakovich, and more.

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This exemplary 154-minute documentary about the great Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter includes some wonderful archive footage and a lot of worthwhile discussion of one of the more remarkable of 20th-century concert careers. Richter was an extraordinary combination of poet, mystic and superb technician, as fine in the more spiritually ruminative moments of Johann Sebastian Bach as he was in the more spectacular display pieces of Franz Liszt. He was also in an interesting place at an interesting time--able to interpret the works of Prokofiev and Shostakovich when they were freshly minted, and able to play alongside other great virtuosi like Oistrakh and Rostopovich (there is some wonderful footage here of the three of them performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto under Karajan). Richter was as fine as a soloist with great orchestras as he was as accompanist--we see him with Fischer-Dieskau in Hugo Wolf's quirky song "Der Feierreiter"--but his true love was the recital; much of his long career was taken up with an endless pilgrimage around the civic centres of Soviet Russia, spreading the word of great music. --Roz Kaveney

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	French, Russian
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Booklet, Chapter Selection
Subtitles:	English, French, German
Year:	1998
Release Date:	October 25, 1999
Runtime:	154 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	3984 23029 2
Label:	N V C Arts
Keywords:	Music, English, General, Enigma, Entertainment, French, Performance, Plays, German, Classical, Solo, Performing, Richter, Documentaries, Rescheduled, Arts, Biographies, Instruments
Genre:	Documentaries & Biographies