Svjatoslav Richter, pianist

When the Finnish music entrepreneur Antti Sairanen approached me revealing a close family relation to the enigmatic and fabulous Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, a journey began which brought endless new insights. Together we travelled widely in the Moscow area to interview many people who had known Richter very closely, and to visit his flat in Moscow and his datja by the Oka river. And getting to know his surroundings we uncovered a musical world almost totally hidden for westeners. And also a unique musical mind so powerful that the description "pianist" immediately proved too limited and earthbound. Travelling in Richter's footsteps became a veritable formation journey, and the book almost wrote itself.