Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven - Sonata no.23 in F minor, "Appassionata", op.57

A great pianist! I 've heard him performing in Athens live, I 'll never forget!

I was by a Richter recital in Strassburg in 1971 . He played a Scriabin Sonata just in this mood . I was statufied and sweated in my chair in big heavy drops . I never forgot it .

Allegro assai 00:00 Andante con moto 10:23 Allegro ma non troppo 16:20

Richter understood Beethoven in the entirety of his music and the person hood. Incredible. Magnificent.

Meine Mutter, die eine Qualitäts Pianistin war, sag immer, daß er der beste Pianist unserer Zeit ist.

Sviatoslave Richter, one of the greatest pianist in the history of music!! I wept when I read his book " Letters..."

I'm no classical music nerd, just a regular music nerd, but this is one of my favorite piano sonatas and Richter is my favorite classical pianist. He gives a raw power to his interpretations that I've rarely heard in my admittedly limited exposure to classical canon and performance.

"To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable!" -LvB. Wish I could see Richter playing this...

абсолютно гениально.... Великий Бетховен. Великий Рихтер. Добавить нечего.

One of the best player in modern time ever.

Richter besitzt die magische Fähigkeit Beethovens Anwesenheit in den Raum zu holen.....Und noch viel mehr als das!

Вся я обрыдалась! Как это можно слушать! Как могут люди быть такими гениями ! Чувствуешь себя песчинкой в море, галактике человеческого таланта!

He captures Beethoven’s phrases of all lengths, short and clipped versus long and flowing, and thereby gets Beethoven’s points across. He takes himself out of the middle and leaves Beethoven speaking to you directly. Perhaps older recordings help with that distance from the artist? Don’t know, but there is still something very special about Richter performances, a unique combination of power, expression and control. It seems to come so naturally to this, one of the very greatest pianists of all time

Richter is the Best of the Best~I love it most..

Das ist für mich die beste Interpretation der Appassionata aller Zeiten!

Господи... Сколько же страсти, жизни в этом исполнении!!!! Словами не выразить... ❤️❤️❤️

Yes, this is a performance of extremes, particularly the lickety--split 3rd movement. But Richter captures something elemental and frightening in this sonata. I think Beethoven wanted us to be a bit scared listening to this music. Richter's makes the 3rd movement like the Last Judgment. I think it is a great performance, even if not to all tastes. A great artist - and Richter was that, in spades - can make things work that lesser performers could not. Like Richter's VERY slow performance of Schubert's sonata D. 960. Even while I'm thinking it is way too slow, Richter makes it work on his terms. But I would not want to hear anyone else take it that slow!! Similarly, I recognize that this final movement is faster than Beethoven wanted, hardly "non troppo." But that thought only came to me after I picked myself up off the floor.

I realized the possibilities of piano when I first heard Richter playing this sonata.I was electrified and began for the first time practising hard enough to play the appassionata. I can remember this moment as if it has just happened.

Sviatoslav Richter: Full Stop: Mesmerizing

Richter was like a dream...thank you.