Karl Richter (conductor)

He studied with Günther Ramin (former teacher of another prominent Bach specialist, organist Helmut Walcha), Karl Straube and Rudolf Mauersberger.

In the 1960s and 1970s he recorded often and toured Japan, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

[3][4][5] Richter played and conducted a wide range of music (sacred works from Heinrich Schütz to Max Reger, as well as the symphonic and concerto repertoire of the Classical and Romantic periods – even including Bruckner symphonies), but is best remembered for his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

He avoided the fluctuations in tempo that were previously characteristic of the prevailing Romantic manner of interpreting Bach, and devoted much attention to the woodwinds and to balance in general.

He viewed this observation in a positive light, stating, "It's bad if you play a work with disdainful routine because you have to, and if you no longer have any thoughts or ideas about it."

This was one of Richter's strengths, because each concert he conducted was a unique, irreplaceable event,[citation needed] and even though two performances could sound slightly different, both seemed just right in the moment he was playing them.

"[1] In a hotel in Munich in 1981 he suffered a fatal heart attack, and was buried in the Enzenbühl cemetery in Zürich eight days later.

Although focusing mainly on the German Baroque period – and particularly on Johann Sebastian Bach's works, Richter recorded a wide amount of music.

In 1969, he recorded a selection of harpsichord works by Bach for Deutsche Grammophon, including the Pastorale in F major, BWV 590 (originally for organ).

In 1972 he recorded a split double album with organist Albert de Klerk for Telefunken, which included organ works by Bach and other Baroque composers.

[44] Also in 2020, Richter's complete recordings on Archiv Produktion and Deutsche Grammophon were reissued in a limited edition, 97-CD & 3 Blu-Ray Audio box set.