A History of the Well Tempered Clavier Performance by Sviatoslav Richter

Sviatoslav Richter did not play the WTC in public in 1980's nor in 1990's.
Data from "Sviatoslav Richiter Notebooks and Conversations" by Bruno Monsaingeon 1998
There may be some differences between the graphs and the chart below.

Programs of concerts (only about the WTC)

year

mon

day

location

Book

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

1937

Conservatory

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

1946

10

Moscow

1 & 2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1954

5

10

Budapest

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

1962

11

Perugia

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1962

11

Perugia

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1962

12

Paris

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1963

2

2

London

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1963

2

9

Brussels

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1963

2

23

Geneva

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1963

4

2

Bern

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1963

4

4

Strasbourg

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

1

17

Leningrad

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

1

18

Leningrad

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

4

2

Paris

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

4

3

Leningrad

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

4

20

Moscow

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

4

21

Moscow

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

5

29

Turin

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

5

30

Turin

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

6

5

Bologna

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

6

16

Florence

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

6

20

Lausanne

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

7

5

Tours

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

7

6

Tours

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

8

20

Locarno

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

10

4

King's Lynn

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

10

7

Newcastle

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

10

9

Northhampton

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1969

10

15

Ely

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

year

mon

day

location

Book

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

1973

3

5

Vienna

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

3

11

Vienna

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

3

16

Budapest

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

3

18

Budapest

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

5

11

Turku

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

5

13

Helsinki

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

5

15

Leningrad

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

6

28

Paris

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

6

30

Meslay

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

7

Meslay

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

10

Paris

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

12

Gourdon

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

15

Carcassonne

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

18

Provence

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

26

Innsbruck

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

28

Innsbruck

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

8

7

Innsbruck

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

8

10

Innsbruck

1

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

30

Ansbach

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1973

7

31

Ansbach

2

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

1975

7

5

Tours

1&2

1

2

1

1

2

1

year

mon

day

location

Book

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

Sviatoslav Richter recorded the Well Tempered Clavier two times in his life. One is of the year 1970, another is of the year 1973 (from a live recording). The first recording was recorded in one day or another. The second was at live for two day concert for the WTC 1. There seemed to be no complicated editting procedures. Richter was a genuine live performer. The second version "Great Legacies of Sviatoslav Richter J.S.Bach THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER" was selected in later days around 1995 by Richiter himself for coming generations (as his words).
Sviatoslav Richter was born in Zhitomir, in the Ukraine, on March 20, 1915. Neuhaus, his teatcher, said, "Here is the pupil for whom I have waited all my life. In my opinion, he is a genius." It was not until May 1960 that he was allowed to travel to the West. The leading piano teacher at the Juilliard School, Rosina Lhevinne, praised it: "Richter is an inspired poet of music ... an exceptional phenomenon of the twentieth century." Richter was an excellent sight-reader and could immediately play pieces he had never seen or heard. Richter died in Moscow on August 1, 1997.

In some cases he felt that others had played these pieces so well that he had nothing else to say. So he dared not play the Goldberg Variations nor Kreisleriana. He surely loved those works. Almost all works for piano of J.S.Bach and Roberto Schumann were played by him in concert or for recording except those two great works. Richiter never played them.

Who are "others" for those specific works?

"I've heard G.G. play in the concert hall, and have also listened to his recording. Some day I'd like to play it (the Goldberg Variations) myself - if ever I manage to master it.", he noted in 1973.*

He noted also in 1972, "My recording of Part One is undoubtedly more successful than that of Part Two. In the second volume, it's the most significant preludes and fugues that have turned out the worst - those in E flat minor (No.8) , F sharp minor (No.14), and this weighs heavily on my conscience."*

Again Richiter was distressed in 1975 listening his own record, "Unlike Part One, which is fairly successful, this recording of Part Two is riddled with mistakes, above all - unfortunately - in the most important preludes and fugues, such as in F sharp minor and B flat minor."*

* from "Sviatoslav Richiter Notebooks and Conversations" written by Bruno Monsaingeon 1998 translated by Stewart Spencer

In comparison of two versions for the WTC Book2 No.14 Prelude and Fugue, I became to think that the 1973 version could confirm him that the WTC was his own exclusive possession. Sviatoslav Richiter has the Well Tempered Clavier as Glenn Gould has the Goldberg Variations.

Listen! - S. Richiter 1st --- Glenn Gould --- S. Richiter 2nd - Listen!

---

Glenn Gould was born in Toronto, Canada on September 25, 1932. He won first prize in the 1946 "Piano Trophy Competition". He played the Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor from the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1. This was the only piano competition in which Gould took part.
After that Gould never played any Prelude nor Fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 on concert. It is very different from the case of Richiter. Richiter played much more times Book 1 than Book 2, even though he started his study of WTC from Book 2.

In 1962 Gould began recording the Well Tempered Clavier in the Columbia's New York studio. It took nine years to complete in total. The Book 1 was released in 1965. The Book 2 in 1972.
He might have said, "I would like to be a recording producer for Richiter, if he wants me to be. His music is great, but recording was so bad." Richiter would have replied, "I am a performing pianist. Recording should be a result of performance." Regretfully there is the best performance of S. Richiter's Well Tempered Clavier Book 2 beautiful No.14 Fsharp minor on the CD live-recorded in 1973 in Innsbruck with many annoying coughs from the audience instead of Gould's joyful hummings.

---

WTC 1 - Prelude No.24
Before his recording, Glenn Gould listened to the performance of the WTC Book 1 the 24th Prelude by Leopold Stokowski's transcription with his orchestra. Of course almost everyone knew it.
Stokowski Style
Then Gould realized that it was a losing game to play that Prelude with the similar style, and that a complete new way of playing was necessary for him, which was completely different from the orchestration of Leopold Stokowski. So he decided to play it without refrains and with staccatos of walking base. It was interesting but not great. Gould's performance was very much to the point. Walking base plays a major role in this Prelude, which Sviatoslav Richter would have never understood.

After that, Sviatoslav Richter recorded it in 1970. It was like Stokowski's piano version, but it was much more great and spiritual.

Gould regreted it but it was too late. After all the WTC Book 1 belonged to Richter. Anyway Gould was glad to find out that in the Book 2 especially on the 14th Prelude and Fugue he had won the game against Sviatoslav Richter.

Gould Style

Richter Style

Glenn Gould passed away in 1982.