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Having learned the fundamentals of music from his father, Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter taught himself the piano and had already given public concerts before entering the Moscow Conservatory in 1937. While still a student, Richter won first prize at the All-Union Contest of Performers of 1945. His playing earned him considerable renown, and by the time of his graduation in 1947 he had devoted fans. In 1949 he garnered the coveted Stalin Prize.

Richter gave the 1942 premiere of Sergey Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 6 -- the composer's first work in that form for years, and the first one he did not premiere himself. This resulted in wild acclaim for both performer and composer. Thereafter, Richter was a great proponent of Prokofiev's music, premiering also the Seventh and the Ninth Sonatas, the latter of which is dedicated to him.

Though word of Richter's excellence (and occasional poor-quality recordings) had spread outside of Russia, his foreign engagements were limited to Eastern Bloc countries (and, in one case, China) where Soviet officials felt there was reduced risk of defection. However, his 1958 performance of Prokofiev's Fifth Piano Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra (on tour in Leningrad) generated such excitement that he was finally permitted to tour the United States, further bolstering his reputation as a virtuoso. Engagements in all of world's musical centers followed. Richter was known as a pianist of transcendent abilities, particularly adept at highlighting the nuances of different styles. Though his interests focused primarily on music of Beethoven, and Prokofiev, he was also highly regarded for his Schubert, Schumann, Bach, Debussy, and Ravel; and in the early 1960s he made a memorable recording of Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto with the composer conducting.

Richter did not favor studio recordings; therefore, most of his recordings are from live performances. Many of them, particularly those from Soviet concerts, suffer from indifferent sound quality and excessive audience noise, but his playing had an electric quality that transcended these handicaps.

The pianist earned a reputation for being difficult and aloof. He was notoriously apt to cancel performances on whims, or arrive late without explanation or apology. However, those who heard him were rarely disappointed. He preferred intimate concert settings over big auditoriums, and thus returned many times to the Aldeburgh and Spoleto Festivals. He was the centerpiece of the Fêtes Musicales, held annually beginning in 1964 at Grange de Meslay, near Tours.

Among his greatest recordings are his Schubert sonatas, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev concertos, Liszt concertos (these have the benefits of first-rate sound), and his Schumann. He has also served as a chamber musician and accompanist, playing piano duets with Britten, and accompanying Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, among others. ~ All Music Guide

Witold Rowicki was one of the leading Polish conductors of his generation and probably best known as the founder and longtime conductor of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. He also revived the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra following World War II. On recordings Rowicki is often remembered for his collaborations with leading soloists, like pianists Martha Argerich, Sviatoslav Richter, and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and violinists, like David Oistrakh. But he was also a star in his own right, acclaimed for his interpretations of many standards in the repertory, in particular for the Dvorák symphonies. He was also highly regarded for his readings of the orchestral works of Polish composers like Szymanowski, Lutoslawski, Wojciech Kilar, and Grazyna Bacewicz. Rowicki conducted numerous orchestras across Europe, Asia, and the Americas and made scores of recordings, many still available on DG, EMI, and Philips.

Witold Rowicki was born in Taganrog, Russia, on February 26, 1914. He studied music at the Krakow Conservatory, graduating in 1938 as a talented violinist and violist. During the war he played both those instruments in the Krakow Philharmonic and taught violin at the conservatory.

In March 1945, with the Nazis out of Poland, Rowicki revived the Polish National RSO. Following the war he was appointed the director of music at the Polish Radio in Katowice. He relocated to Warsaw in 1950 and founded the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, which drew some of its players from a predecessor ensemble whose membership was decimated by the war. Rowicki served as the orchestra's artistic director and conductor from 1950-1955 and from 1958-1977.

During his 25 years on the podium there, he established the orchestra as one of the finest in Eastern Europe, attracted major soloists, and made numerous acclaimed recordings. But Rowicki was also active during this time as a guest-conductor of such ensembles as the Royal Concertgebouw, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Berlin Staatskapelle, and many others.

Rowicki was also active in opera, conducting performances at the Teatr Wielki Opera Centre in Warsaw, from 1965. After retiring from his Warsaw National Philharmonic post in 1977, Rowicki remained active as a guest conductor and eventually accepted the position of principal conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (1983-1985). Rowicki died in Warsaw on October 1, 1989. Among his most acclaimed recordings is his Dvorák symphony cycle (recorded from the late '60s to early '70s), with the London Symphony Orchestra, available from 2010 on a six-disc Decca set.