Spring 1978, Paris
Pianist Arthur Rubinstein talks with French journalist and television presenter Léon Zitrone about pianist Sviatoslav Richter
A fragment from the documentary «The Chronicles of Sviatoslav Richter» (1978, directed by Sviatoslav Chekin)
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An approximate content of the conversation:
◾ L.Z.: Many people say that he is the greatest pianist of our epoch.
◾ A.R.: There is no such thing, and it cannot be said neither about Liszt, nor about Rubinstein - Anton Grigoryevich, nor about God knows who else was great... Paderewski, it is impossible. You see, an artist in general: in painting, in literature, in general, anyone who is engaged in art, and literature, too, cannot be the biggest, the best... there isn’t such a thing. He has his own special figure, you see, you cannot compare him with anyone. If you tell me that Richter plays a little better than Rachmaninoff, then this is already a rather weak thing.
◾ L.Z.: I understand, it means...
◾ A.R.: This is a personality, you see, there is no other such personality. He had a teacher who was my friend from a young age - Heinrich Neuhaus, Richter studied with him from the beginning, and he adored Neuhaus and Neuhaus adored him. I heard about him from Neuhaus when I was in the Soviets (USSR) twice - I played then. Neuhaus was my friend from a young age. He told me - my biggest, colossal student is Richter. I came to America from Europe to my concerts, Richter was giving his first three concerts. I was terribly curious - well, big Richter, I heard so much about him from the Neuhaus, I went to his concert. Well, he played Schumann’s Fantasy, which left no impression on me: he played pleasantly, well, musically, in a good tone, it was clear that he was a first-class pianist, a real pianist, but there was nothing genial. But suddenly two or three small compositions of Ravel - it was something incredible, you know the sound was so beautiful, it was incredible, I never heard a piano sounding like that; it was a completely different instrument. And his feelings, too - I had tears in my eyes. After that, I was completely his man. Then he played Scriabin's Sonata in a way that is impossible to play at all. Everyone played it, many pianists, I have three discs, three...
◾ L.Z.: Records.
◾ A.R.: The records, yes, of this sonata - nothing of the kind. I don’t have his (record), and I don’t know whether he recorded it or not. But it was brilliant. You know, I can talk about it, because somehow, I don’t know why, in 1906 I made the first performances of this sonata in London, and then in America, yes, the first ones, it was still completely unknown, it just came out in print. Well, so I became colossal...
◾ L.Z.: Fan.
◾ A.R.: A fan of him, yes. Richter is a colossal musician, an intelligent man who plays the piano, you see, and the piano answers to him, thank God. In case of (many) other musicians, the piano does not answer back. He pulls everything he wants from the piano; he sings on the piano, he plays music orchestrally on the piano. Everything sounds the way he wants, you see. And this is very, very rare. This is the rarest thing to bring up a musician who «plays» the piano.
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Весна 1978 года, Париж
Пианист Артур Рубинштейн беседует с французским журналистом и телеведущим Леоном Зитроном о пианисте Святославе Рихтере
Фрагмент из документального фильма «Хроники Святослава Рихтера» (1978, режиссёр - Святослав Чекин)
[ • Хроники Святослава Рих... ]
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18 мар 2020
