He was self-critical, self-demanding, objective in front of the music score and devoted to the audience.
Sviatoslav Richter represents one of the utmost exceptional figures in the pianists´history. His teacher, Heinrich Neuhaus, considered him as a “genius pupil”.
Doubtless he belongs to the generation of the greatest pianists in the past century.
His particular dedication to practice, building up his repertoire studying intensively several works of the piano literature, characterized his serious approach to the music.

Sometimes his performances have been criticized as “cold”, without the proper expression of feelings in the music.
But his intention was targeted at an execution of the composer´s work to the letter, he saw himself as an interpreter, being just between the composer´s message and the receiver – the audience.
He didn´t want to “recreate” the work, rather be captured and dissolved in the music.

Richter was enigmatic, a personality outside every normal path of musician. Probably, that´s why he gained his fame.

We don´t need to approve all his ideas and interpretations. Yet there are some performances of Sviatoslav Richter which are simply overwhelming and distinguish his charisma from other pianists.
Even Glenn Gould praised him as “one of the most powerful communicators the world of music has produced in our time”.