To say Sviatoslav Richter was a great pianist is to damn with faint praise. The Ukrainian-born musician spent his early years as an accompanist for amateur opera, beginning his formal education in 1937 with Heinrich Neuhaus at the Moscow Conservatory. Early on he conquered the études of Chopin, then befriended Prokofiev for whom he premiered several sonatas. As Richter's stature grew, so too did his repertoire. Limited in his travels by the Soviets, Richter displayed his exceptional technical capacity and indefatigable musical curiosity throughout Eastern Europe, coming to the United States only once for six legendary evenings at Carnegie Hall in 1961. Richter, the Enigma tells in lush detail, as related by the pianist himself, of his tempestuous career, sharing anecdotes about great composers and musicians such as Shostakovitch and Van Cliburn. Dozens of fiery performances are scattered throughout this portrait, illustrating Arthur Rubenstein's observation, "Richter is a gigantic musician."