Editing Sviatoslav Richter (section)

==Biography==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2023}}

===Childhood===
[[File:TheophilRichter.jpg|thumb|Richter's father, Teofil, {{circa|1900}}]]
Richter was born in [[Zhytomyr]], [[Volhynian Governorate]], in the [[Russian Empire]] (modern-day [[Ukraine]]), the hometown of his parents. His father, {{ill|Teofil Danilovich Richter|de|Theophil Richter (Musiker)}} (1872–1941), was a pianist, organist and composer born to [[Germans|German]] expatriates, who from 1893 to 1900 studied at the [[University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna|Vienna Conservatory]]. His mother, Anna Pavlovna Richter (née Moskaleva; 1893–1963), came from a [[Russian nobility|noble Russian]] landowning family, and at one point had studied under her future husband.<ref name="grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Fanning |first=David |title=Sviatoslav (Teofilovich) Richter}}</ref><ref>''Valentina Chemberdzhi (2004)''. About Richter in His Own Words. — Moscow: Agraf, pp. 217—226 {{ISBN|978-5-17-101111-6}}</ref> In 1918, when Richter's parents were in [[Odessa]], the [[Russian Civil War|Civil War]] separated them from their son, and Richter moved in with his aunt Tamara. He lived with her from 1918 to 1921, and it was then that his interest in art first manifested itself: he first became interested in [[painting]], which his aunt taught him.

In 1921 the family was reunited, and the Richters moved to Odessa, where Teofil taught at the [[Odessa Conservatory]] and, briefly, worked as organist of a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church. In the early 1920s Richter became interested in music (as well as other art forms such as cinema, literature, and theatre) and started studying piano. Unusually, he was largely self-taught. His father gave him only a basic education in music, as did one of his father's pupils, a [[Czechs|Czech]] harpist.<ref>Monsaingeon 2001, pp. 12–14</ref>

Even at an early age, Richter was an excellent [[sight-reading|sight-reader]] and regularly practised with local opera and ballet companies. He developed a lifelong passion for opera, vocal and chamber music that found its full expression in the festivals he established in La Grange de Meslay, France, and in Moscow at the [[Pushkin Museum]]. At age 15, he started to work at the [[Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater|Odessa Opera]], where he accompanied the rehearsals.<ref>Monsaingeon 2001, p. 20</ref>

===Early career===
[[File:Sviatoslav Richter photo.jpg|thumb|{{center|Richter, {{circa|1935}}}}]]

On March 19, 1934, Richter gave his first recital, at the Engineers' Club of [[Odessa]]; but he did not formally start studying piano until three years later, when he decided to seek out [[Heinrich Neuhaus]], a pianist and piano teacher, at the [[Moscow Conservatory]]. During Richter's audition for Neuhaus (at which he performed [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]]'s [[Ballade No. 4 (Chopin)|Ballade No. 4]]), Neuhaus apparently whispered to a fellow student, "This man's a genius." Although Neuhaus taught many pianists, including [[Emil Gilels]] and [[Radu Lupu]], it is said that he considered Richter to be "the genius pupil, for whom he had been waiting all his life", while acknowledging that he taught Richter "almost nothing".

Early in his career, Richter also tried composition, and it even appears that he played some of his works during his audition for Neuhaus. He gave up composition shortly after moving to Moscow. Years later, Richter explained this decision as follows: "Perhaps the best way I can put it is that I see no point in adding to all the bad music in the world".<ref>Kevin Bazzana – Sviatoslav Richter (1915–1997), Notes to Richter in Leipzig, Music & Arts CD 1025.</ref>

By the beginning of World War II, Richter's parents' marriage had failed and his mother had fallen in love with another man. Because Richter's father was a German, he was under suspicion by the authorities and a plan was made for the family to flee the country. Due to her romantic involvement, his mother did not want to leave and so they remained in Odessa. In August 1941, his father was arrested and later found guilty of espionage, being sentenced to death on October 6, 1941. Richter did not speak to his mother again until shortly before her death nearly 20 years later in connection with his first US tour.

In 1943, Richter met [[Nina Dorliak]] (1908–1998), an operatic soprano. He noticed Dorliak during the memorial service for [[Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko]], caught up with her at the street and suggested to accompany her in recital. It is often alleged that they married around this time, but in fact Dorliak only obtained a marriage certificate a few months after Richter's death in 1997.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rasmussen|first=Karl|title=Sviatoslav Richter Pianist|publisher=Northeastern University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-55553-710-4|location=Lebanon NH|pages=260}}</ref> They remained living companions from around 1945 until Richter's death; they had no children.<ref>''Dmitry Dorliak, [[Andrej Andreevich Zolotov|Andrei Zolotov]] (2005)''. Transiences of Sviatoslav Richter. — Moscow: Khudoznik i kniga, p. 5 {{ISBN|978-5-901685-95-2}}</ref><ref>"In a Duo with Richter" by Nina Dorliak // Remembering Sviatoslav Richter. Sviatoslav Richter Through the Eyes of Colleagues, Friends and Admirers (2000). — Moscow: Konstanta, {{pp.|68|70}} {{ISBN|978-5-93123-010-8}}</ref> Dorliak accompanied Richter both in his complex private life and career. She supported him in his final illness, and died herself less than a year later, on May 17, 1998.

Since his death it has been suggested that Richter was homosexual and that having a female companion provided a [[Beard (companion)|social front]] for his true sexual orientation, because homosexuality was widely taboo at that time and could result in [[LGBT rights in Russia#Stalin|legal repercussions]].<ref>{{cite news | author=Benjamin Ivry | title=from Russia with (forbidden) love | url=http://www.salon.com/1998/01/05/05feature/ | work=salon | date=January 5, 2005 | access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref><ref>letter from Nicolas Nabokov to Igor Stravinsky, February 3, 1963, Stravinsky, selected correspondence, Vol II {{ISBN|978-0-394-52813-7}} "We are writing to you from a concert by Sviatoslav Richter, who is playing Bach and Schubert brilliantly. He is a flaming fag."</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1999-01-07 |title=Monster at the keyboard |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jan/07/features11.g25 |access-date=2023-12-12 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Richter was an intensely private person and was usually quiet and withdrawn, and refused to give interviews. He never publicly discussed his personal life until the last year of his life when film-maker [[Bruno Monsaingeon]] convinced him to be interviewed for a documentary.

===Rise to international profile===
In 1949, Richter won the [[USSR State Prize|Stalin Prize]], which led to extensive concert tours in Russia, Eastern Europe and China. He gave his first concerts outside the Soviet Union in [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1950.<ref>{{cite web | title= Sviatoslav Richter Chronology – 1950 | url= http://www.trovar.com/str/dates/a1950.html | publisher= trovar.com | date= February 22, 2001 | access-date= September 8, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070324114055/http://www.trovar.com/str/dates/a1950.html | archive-date= March 24, 2007 | url-status= dead }}</ref> In 1952, Richter was invited to play [[Franz Liszt]] in a film based on the life of [[Mikhail Glinka]], called ''[[The Composer Glinka]]'' ([[remake]] of the 1946 film ''Glinka''). The title role was played by Boris Smirnov.

On February 18, 1952, Richter made his sole appearance as a conductor in the world premiere of Prokofiev's [[Symphony-Concerto (Prokofiev)|Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra]] in E minor, with [[Mstislav Rostropovich]] as the soloist.<ref>Liner notes for Deutsche Grammophon 449 821–2</ref>

In April 1958, Richter was on the jury of the first [[Tchaikovsky Competition]] in Moscow. Watching [[Van Cliburn]]'s performance of [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)|Concerto No. 3]], Richter wept with joy; he awarded Cliburn a 25, a perfect score.

In 1960, even though he had a reputation for being "indifferent" to politics, Richter defied the authorities when he performed at [[Boris Pasternak]]'s funeral.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Coleman |first=Alexander |date=October 1997 |title=Sviatoslav Richter, 1915–1997 |journal=The New Criterion |volume=16 |issue=2 |url=http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/16/oct97/coleman.htm |access-date=September 8, 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319063724/http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/16/oct97/coleman.htm |archive-date=March 19, 2006 }}</ref>

Having received the Stalin and Lenin prizes and become People's Artist of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|RSFSR]], he gave his first tour concerts in the US in 1960, and in England and France in 1961.<ref>Vadim Mogilnitsky, "Sviatoslav Richter" / Вадим Могильницкий, из книги "Святослав Рихтер", (see link: http://www.sviatoslavrichter.ru/chronograph.php)</ref>

===Touring and recording===
[[File:Hammond Slides Musicians 05.jpg|thumb|253x253px|Richter performing in 1964]]
In 1948, Richter and Dorliak gave recitals in [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]], then in 1950 performed in [[Prague]] and [[Bratislava]], [[Czechoslovakia]]. In 1954, Richter gave recitals in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]. In 1956, he again toured Czechoslovakia, then in 1957, he toured [[China]], then again performed in Prague, [[Sofia]], and Warsaw. In 1958, Richter recorded [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 5 (Prokofiev)|5th Piano Concerto]] with the [[Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra]] under the baton of [[Witold Rowicki]] – the recording which made Richter known in the United States. In 1959, Richter made another successful recording of [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)|2nd Piano Concerto]] with the Warsaw Philharmonic on [[Deutsche Grammophon]] label. Thus the West first became aware of Richter through recordings made in the 1950s. One of Richter's first advocates in the West was [[Emil Gilels]], who stated during his first tour of the United States that the critics (who were giving Gilels rave reviews) should "wait until you hear Richter."<ref name=reputation>{{cite news | author=Michael Kimmelman | title=The Reputation Is Legendary, The Playing Unpredictable | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807EEDB1F3FF931A15755C0A961958260 | work=The New York Times | date=June 22, 1997 | access-date=August 28, 2007}}</ref>

Richter's first concerts in the West took place in May 1960, when he was allowed to play in Finland, and on October 15, 1960, in Chicago, where he played [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Brahms)|2nd Piano Concerto]] with the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Erich Leinsdorf]], creating a sensation. In a review, ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' music critic [[Claudia Cassidy]], who was known for her unkind reviews of established artists, recalled Richter first walking on stage hesitantly, looking vulnerable (as if about to be "devoured"), but then sitting at the piano and dispatching "the performance of a lifetime".<ref>Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Tribune, 1960.</ref> Richter's 1960 tour of the United States culminated in a series of concerts at [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408220230/http://www.trovar.com/str/dates/a1960.html|title=Sviatoslav Richter Chronology |website=Web.archive.org|date=April 8, 2009}}</ref>

Richter disliked performing in the United States.<ref>"America is standardized. It's all the same. I don't like it" says Richer in Monsaingeon's documentary "Richter, The Enigma", op.cit.</ref> Following a 1970 incident at [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York City, when Richter's performance alongside [[David Oistrakh]] was disrupted by anti-Soviet protests, Richter vowed never to return.<ref name=reputation/> Rumours of a planned return to Carnegie Hall surfaced in the last years of Richter's life, although it is not clear whether there was any truth behind them.<ref>Kevin Bazzana – Sviatoslav Richter (1915–1997), Notes to Richter in Leipzig, Music & Arts CD 1025</ref>

In 1961, Richter played for the first time in London. His first recital, pairing works of [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]] and [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]], was received with hostility by British critics. [[Neville Cardus]] concluded that Richter's playing was "provincial", and wondered why Richter had been invited to play in London, given that London had plenty of "second class" pianists of its own. Following a July&nbsp;18, 1961, concert, where Richter performed both of [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]]'s piano concertos, the critics reversed course.<ref>David Fanning, Notes to Sviatoslav Richter performs Chopin and Liszt, BBC Legends CD 2000.</ref>

In 1963, after searching in the Loire Valley, France, for a venue suitable for a music festival, Richter discovered La Grange de Meslay, several kilometres north of Tours. The festival was established by Richter and became an annual event.

In 1970, Richter visited Japan for the first time, travelling across Siberia by railway and ship as he disliked flying. He played Beethoven, Schumann, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Bartók and Rachmaninoff, as well as works by Mozart and Beethoven with Japanese orchestras. He visited Japan eight times.

===Later years===
While he very much enjoyed performing for an audience, Richter hated planning concerts years in advance, and in later life took to playing at very short notice in small, most often darkened halls, with only a small lamp lighting the score. Richter said that this setting helped the audience focus on the music being performed, rather than on extraneous and irrelevant matters such as the performer's grimaces and gestures.<ref>Monsaingeon, p. 108, "That's why I now play in the dark, to empty my head of all non-essential thoughts and allow the listener to concentrate on the music rather than on the performer. What's the point of watching a pianist's hands or face, when they only express the efforts being expended on the piece?"</ref>

=== Death ===
Richter died at [[Central Clinical Hospital]] in [[Moscow]] from a heart attack on August 1, 1997, aged 82. He had been suffering from depression due to an inability to perform caused by changes in his hearing that altered his perception of pitch.<ref>Monsaignon</ref>