Richter's personal journals - kept for nearly 30 years - constitute an unparalleled witness to the music of our time. These are the private thoughts of a nonconformist, one of the greatest performers of the century, and one whose life was bound inextricably to the history of the USSR.
Throughout a life dedicated to music, Richter maintained a stubborn silence about his own ideals and aspirations. Here at last he opens up his heart in these exceptional interviews with Bruno Monsaingeon, who became close to Richter not long before the pianist's death in 1995. These conversations take us on a journey which begins with Richter's childhood memories, follows his early career and his