Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations
First published in French in 1998, this is a collection of anecdotes and reflections by the Russian-born Richter (1915-97), one of the finest pianists of the 20th century. "The Conversations" section is presented in the first person, although Monsaingeon, a writer and filmmaker based in Paris, actually cobbled it together from hours of taped interviews; this section also contains a previously published essay by Richter on Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. "The Notebooks" section consists of hundreds of edited passages extracted from Richter's diaries, with the pianist's candid, insightful, and occasionally catty reactions to music and musicians related to performances he played or attended and recordings he heard between 1970 and 1995. Monsaingeon's editing casts Richter in a favorable light, and skeptical readers may wonder if they are getting a complete picture of the subject. Regardless, this is a fascinating glimpse of the musical world through the eyes of one of its major practitioners. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of TorontoCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.