"Your wonderful Bechstein has afforded me great joy."
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter played on Bechstein during his piano studies and gladly remembered these rewarding experiences with Bechstein. As Sviatoslav Richter performed in 1962 for the first time in Vienna, he played on a C. Bechstein concert grand piano. The following statement has been passed down from Sviatoslav Richter: "Your wonderful Bechstein has afforded me great joy." Born 1915 in Ukraine, Sviatoslav Richter received his first instruction from his father, a pianist trained in Vienna. In 1934, Richter gave his first recital. In 1937, he began to study in Moscow with Heinrich Neuhaus. At his Moscow debut, Sviatoslav Richter played the world premiere of Prokofiev's 6th sonata, in 1943 and 1951, also the Sonatas No. 7 and No. 9, which was devoted to him. After the end of the war, he began to give concerts again. As of the mid-1950s, he was allowed to play abroad to make his first foreign tours to neighbouring socialist countries. After his first "Western concert" in Helsinki, he completed his first USA tour. In the following years, he also became well-known throughout Europe and as of 1970 in Japan. Sviatoslav Richter died 1997 in Moscow, after performing concerts worldwide until 1995.
Photo: © C. Bechstein Archiv / Erich Auerbach
