Medici Arts: 3085208
Classic Archive: Sviatoslav Richter 
Mozart: Sonata for Piano No.4 in E flat K282; Sonata for Piano No.16 in C K545; Sonata for Piano No.8 in A minor K310
Chopin: Etude No.1 in C Op.10/1; Etude No.2 in A minor Op.10/2; Etude No.3 in E Op.10/3. Etude No.4 in C sharp minor Op.10/4; Etude No.5 in G flat Op.10/5 ’Black Keys’; Etude No.6 in E flat minor Op.10/6; Etude No.10 in A flat Op.10/10; Etude No.11 in E flat Op.10/11; Etude No.12 in C minor Op.10/12 ’Revolutionary’; Etude No.17 in E minor Op.25/5; Etude No.18 in G sharp minor op.25/6. Etude No.20 in D flat Op.25/8; Etude No.23 in A minor Op.25/11 ’Winter Wind’
Chopin: Etude No.4 in C sharp minor Op.10/4
Chopin: Etude No.12 in C minor Op.10/12 ’Revolutionary’
Rachmaninov: Etude-Tableau No.3 in F sharp minor Op.39
Our Price: £14.95 (£12.72 ex VAT)
Format: DVD - NTSC
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Instrumental
Artist(s): Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
Release Date: 30th June 2008
More Details on Classic Archive: Sviatoslav Richter
Lovingly restored, using the finest state-of-the-art technology, Classic Archive features great performances from legendary artists, offering a unique historical glimpse into our classical heritage!
The circumstances of this Barbican recital were far from ideal. Sviatoslav Richter, notoriously temperamental and known on occasion to cancel concerts at a moment’s notice, was apparently unaware until shortly before the concert that it was to be filmed. To use his own term, he detested filmed or televised concerts.
After considerable, evidently heated discussion, he agreed to the filming on the condition that no camera would be in his field of vision. This challenge was overcome.
More difficult for the film crew, used to expending 50,000 watts of lighting power when televising such an event, was Richter’s insistence on restricting the lighting to a single 40-watt bulb, trained directly on the music. By this time, this was his standard practice.
His aims were twofold: on the one hand, to focus maximum attention on the music; on the other, to de-emphasize the importance of the performer.
If we feel short-changed by the predominantly black screen in the Barbican recital, we should remember that the small amount of Richter we are allowed to see is very much more than he would have liked us to see. Ideally, he would have preferred a light that illuminated only the music.
Filmed at the Barbican Centre, London, 29 March 1989.
Bonus: Chopin: Étude Op.10 No.4 and N°12 / Rachmaninov: Étude-Tableau Op.39 No.3
(Broadcast by BBC on 28 October 1969)
Picture Format: NTSC · 4:3 fullscreen
Sound Formats: PCM Stereo
Region Code: 0
Booklet Notes: Tracklist in English, French, German
Running Time: 90 mins
The circumstances of this Barbican recital were far from ideal. Sviatoslav Richter, notoriously temperamental and known on occasion to cancel concerts at a moment’s notice, was apparently unaware until shortly before the concert that it was to be filmed. To use his own term, he detested filmed or televised concerts.
After considerable, evidently heated discussion, he agreed to the filming on the condition that no camera would be in his field of vision. This challenge was overcome.
More difficult for the film crew, used to expending 50,000 watts of lighting power when televising such an event, was Richter’s insistence on restricting the lighting to a single 40-watt bulb, trained directly on the music. By this time, this was his standard practice.
His aims were twofold: on the one hand, to focus maximum attention on the music; on the other, to de-emphasize the importance of the performer.
If we feel short-changed by the predominantly black screen in the Barbican recital, we should remember that the small amount of Richter we are allowed to see is very much more than he would have liked us to see. Ideally, he would have preferred a light that illuminated only the music.
Filmed at the Barbican Centre, London, 29 March 1989.
Bonus: Chopin: Étude Op.10 No.4 and N°12 / Rachmaninov: Étude-Tableau Op.39 No.3
(Broadcast by BBC on 28 October 1969)
Picture Format: NTSC · 4:3 fullscreen
Sound Formats: PCM Stereo
Region Code: 0
Booklet Notes: Tracklist in English, French, German
Running Time: 90 mins
