Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater

But Richter was apparently largely self-taught.

He was an extraordinary sight reader with a passion for opera, and as a teenager he worked as a rehearsal pianist at the Odessa Opera, where he hoped to become a conductor.

He gave his first solo recital in 1934, an all-Chopin program, but had no formal training to speak of until he was in his 20s.

In 1937, Richter went to Moscow and auditioned for the acclaimed teacher Heimerich Neuhaus, who would be the head of piano at the Moscow Conservatory for close to five decades.