Sviatoslav Richter. Greatest pianist of the last century?

Technically you might be able to prove "The Best" but the issue is always going to be subjective reasoning. Why does it matter?

Greatest ever, or of a given time period, is ridiculous because this isn’t an athletic competition.  I am not disputing any points you make about Richter, but I don’t know how to compare him vs Arrau, Pollini,Kempff, Casadesus, Michelangeli, Horowitz, Kapell, Argerich, Volodos, Kissin, Berman, and about 1000 other names that I could pull of great artists that had less well known careers .

  Part of Richter’s mystique was that he worked on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain.  His releases to the West were sporadic, dependent upon the whims of the Kommisars.  So his virtues were largely tantalizingly out of reach for decades.

  When the floodgates opened there were hundreds of recordings available.  Many of them were from the dog and pony show life that Richter favored, driving around the byways of France with an upright in the UHaul, stopping in a small venue on a whim, having an impromptu concert.  A “happening “.  It would have been really cool to be having a glass of wine in a courtyard in a small village in Provence and have his merry caravan suddenly pop up, but many of these recordings were made with out of tune pianos with mikes stuck God Knows Where (he was notorious for not wanting to be bothered by recording apparatus).  The sheer ubiquity of these one offs dulled the luster for me, a bit, especially as he was audibly past his prime-but still pretty awesome.

  So I am not disputing his stature, as as a recorded artist, I don’t know how to rank him vs fearsome competition, nor I do I wish to even consider it a competition 

Straw man argument. His complete Decca DG Phillips recordings are available in one box set and all the HMV recordings in another box set. His reputation rests on this discography of major label records. Not some obscure records from Provence.

Seriously, though, I see the value of GOAT questions not so much as a ranking mechanism, which can get a bit too masturbatory for me, but rather as a way of learning from colleagues about great new resources.

I agree and suggest a more effective way to get around the competitive "My guy is better than your guy" dynamic would be to ask a different question: "Who are some of your favorite classical pianists and why?"

Or, "Who are some of your favorite interpreters of Chopin Nocturnes and why?"

My 2 cents.

Yeah, each pianist has his/her strengths and weaknesses. One performer could maybe excel at interpretations of one composer, but no more. Comparing Richter and Horowitz is like comparing apples and oranges: Richter was an enemy of the Soviet state, and was adamantly independent, with very strong and unique interpretations: his dad was killed by the KGB, and he was not allowed to leave the confines of his province until very late in life; Horowitz was the darling of the bureaucrats, and was given all the privileges of the Soviet state throughout his life, including travels to America; consequently, Horowitz was comparatively pedestrian, but could hit all the right notes right on time, smooth as silk, as fast as anyone, but with no real feeling.