I just read this:
Sviatoslav Richter, the great pianist of the Soviet
era, who liked to play in the smallest towns in the remote provinces of the
USSR and who was also at the piano at Stalin’s funeral, always presented
himself as a fervent admirer of Wagner, and he could transpose entire Wagner
operas, by heart, on his piano. Alain Badiou
I read that about Enescu, too - whole acts of Wagner from memory on the piano.
ReplyDeleteYears ago Riccardo Muti told me that Richter liked unusual places in Italy like Norcia. Always wanted to go there as a result, and realised probably why - it's the sausage capital of Umbria. Grieving to think of what's happened to it.