Richter - The Enigma (1998) DVD

Richter - The Enigma

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.

Starring	Sviatoslav Richter
Studio	WARNER MUSIC VISION
Run time	DVD: 2 hrs 34 mins
Certificate
Genres	Documentary, World Cinema
Language	DVD: French, Russian
Subtitles	DVD: English, French, German
Released	DVD: 25 Oct 1999 Production year: 1998
Format	DVD

Most helpful member's review of Richter - The Enigma
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Documentary of the highest quality

The impression that I got from this documentary was that Richter was someone who shunned many aspects of the publicity and lifestyle of an acclaimed pianist. Perhaps it is hardly surprising, therefore, that it should be difficult to understand him through a documentary and I was left with an impression of him as the enigma that the title proposes. Richter as a person is, however, played against a backdrop of the twentieth century USSR/Russia, which is fascinating in its own right, as are the other monumental musicians whose lives are interwoven here with his. In addition, the privilege of hearing and watching so many classic performances cannot be overestimated, especially when one is provided with context - personal, musical or historical.

So the personal side doesn't leave a feeling of understanding or 'closure' but with so much amazing material and the rich quality of content this has to have five stars. How refreshing too to see a largely self-taught pianist who bypassed conventional 'childhood scales' and drills but yet reached the pinnacle of the art.
- - A customer from UK
  - Posted 21 Jul 2004 15:53
Most recent members' review of Richter - The Enigma
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Amazing Musician

Lovely photography and archive film. Fantastic music. But unfortunately couldnt understand a word that was spoken as Russian is not a language I comprehend. It would have been nice to have had English subtitles!
- - A customer from England
  - Posted 06 Jul 2007 09:12