Sviatoslav Richter

Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997), Ukrainian pianist, born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine (then part of Russia). At the age of 15, he was rehearsal conductor for the Odesa opera and ballet companies. Primarily a self-taught pianist, he gave his first recital in Odesa in 1934. He later studied (1937-1944) at the State Conservatory in Moscow, and in 1945 he won the prestigious USSR state musical competition. Richter first performed outside the USSR in China in 1957; he made his American debut in 1960 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In his wide-ranging repertoire, he showed particular affinity for works by Beethoven, Schumann, and modern Russian composers.