Favorite three pianists for Classical period repertoire (solo, chamber, and/or concertos)
Alfred Brendel
Mitsuko Uchida
Bart Van Oort
The three B's
Buchbinder (Haydn)
Barenboim (Mozart and Beethoven)
Bilson (Mozart)
Paul Badura-Skoda
Malcolm Bilson
Kris. Bezuidenhout
8)
Am I the only one who thinks the question a bit...odd? What I mean is that why would the top three pianists not also be the top three classical pianists? Or is the question different than I understand?
Quote from: mc ukrneal on January 10, 2018, 09:55:15 AM
Am I the only one who thinks the question a bit...odd? What I mean is that why would the top three pianists not also be the top three classical pianists? Or is the question different than I understand?
Classical period, as in not Romantic or Baroque or Modern.
Quote from: bwv 1080 on January 10, 2018, 10:01:11 AM
Classical period, as in not Romantic or Baroque or Modern.
Yes, that I understood. So why would the top classical 'generalist' pianist not be the top classical period pianist as well? I am not understanding the importance of the distinction. Are there pianists that actually focus so narrowly (meaning most of what they play is only from that period)? Is Uchida a specialist for example (I didn't think she was)? I wish I could write more, but I have to run - so perhaps later...
Does Beethoven count as classical?
Quote from: mc ukrneal on January 10, 2018, 10:07:23 AM
Yes, that I understood. So why would the top classical 'generalist' pianist not be the top classical period pianist as well? I am not understanding the importance of the distinction. Are there pianists that actually focus so narrowly (meaning most of what they play is only from that period)? Is Uchida a specialist for example (I didn't think she was)? I wish I could write more, but I have to run - so perhaps later...
???
There is no implication that top generalist pianists are not top classical period pianist, or vice versa. It is a simple question (as I understand it). Who do you like to listen to performing classical period music.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on January 10, 2018, 10:07:23 AM
Yes, that I understood. So why would the top classical 'generalist' pianist not be the top classical period pianist as well? I am not understanding the importance of the distinction. Are there pianists that actually focus so narrowly (meaning most of what they play is only from that period)? Is Uchida a specialist for example (I didn't think she was)? I wish I could write more, but I have to run - so perhaps later...
Everyone has their strengths and no one can do everything. Have not heard Alfred Brendel play any 20th century repertoire but listen to his Mozart and Beethoven alot. Uchida mostly plays classical and some early Romantic repertoire.
My two cents worth:
Lili Kraus
Friedrich Gulda
Maurizio Pollini
Quote from: bwv 1080 on January 10, 2018, 10:13:38 AM
Everyone has their strengths and no one can do everything. Have not heard Alfred Brendel play any 20th century repertoire but listen to his Mozart and Beethoven alot. Uchida mostly plays classical and some early Romantic repertoire.
Predictable enough, probably - but the one with almost consistently interesting recordings of both Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven would be Yudina, IMO. Alas with very mixed sound quality, and in a somewhat limited repertoire only.
Richter, Schiff, Brendel, Serkin, Uchida, Kempff, Barenboim, Schnabel, Gould, Kovacevich, B-Skoda, Lupu, Arrau, Curzon, Kissin, Perahia, Gulda, Horowitz:
rather, it would be selected recordings from their legacy.
Among the more ambitious, current names, I liked a lot of what I heard of Paul Lewis (Schubert) and Korstick (Beethoven), plus the later Schiff recordings, and to some extent Kovacevich´s EMI Beethoven.
Yes, I would pick a different top three for my favorite Beethoven pianists (although Brendel would probably still be on it)
probably Beethoven, Clementi and Hummel. Mozart didn't practice enough.
I'm wavering between Kempff, Arrau, Schiff and Kempff, Pollini, Schiff.
If Beethoven and Schubert count,
Robert Casadesus
Andrea Lucchesini
Michael Endres
Hon. Mention (they've gotten plenty of love already): Paul Badura-Skoda, Wilhelm Kempff
Hon. Mention (just hasn't recorded enough): Penelope Crawford
Kraus, Zacharias, & Levin
Quote from: Jo498 on January 10, 2018, 01:19:24 PM
probably Beethoven, Clementi and Hummel. Mozart didn't practice enough.
Mozart claimed Clementi's playing was technically not up to snuff, so if one believes him (could have been just mean-spirited, if very entertaining griping about a competitor) one may wish to substitute Czerny or Dussek...
Quote from: amw on January 10, 2018, 01:37:48 PM
Mozart claimed Clementi's playing was technically not up to snuff, so if one believes him (could have been just mean-spirited, if very entertaining griping about a competitor) one may wish to substitute Czerny or Dussek...
Chopin was a pianist who lived during the classical period
Quote from: The One on January 10, 2018, 02:23:09 PM
That was not my point, but yes, Gottfried Silbermann's
Ok but Bach died before the Classical period began
I'm fairly sure CPE Bach was already writing music before 1750
Michael Endres
Andras Schiff
Christian Zacharias
Quote from: bwv 1080 on January 10, 2018, 02:09:08 PM
did Bach ever play a piano?
Yes! On one occasion I believe. An early version.
Quote from: amw on January 10, 2018, 01:37:48 PM
Mozart claimed Clementi's playing was technically not up to snuff, so if one believes him (could have been just mean-spirited, if very entertaining griping about a competitor) one may wish to substitute Czerny or Dussek...
I seriously suspect that Mozart realized that Clementi was technically superior or in any case "more modern" player and that he was both jealous and maybe also disliked the "new style".
There is also a remark from the young Beethoven that he disliked Mozart's "detaché" and less cantabile playing (while he of course admired Mozart as a composer unconditionally) and I think Beethoven spoke well of Clementi's playing but I might be confusing of conflating thing. In any case there seems to have been a change of taste involved that was not directly dependent on technical prowess.
Czerny and Dussek are younger, so probably they were better and Czerny is of course a Godfather of later piano playing but as far as I recall Clementi was recognized as the pioneer of the then (early 1800s) modern playing style.
Quote from: Jo498 on January 10, 2018, 10:49:11 PM
I seriously suspect that Mozart realized that Clementi was technically superior or in any case "more modern" player and that he was both jealous and maybe also disliked the "new style".
There is also a remark from the young Beethoven that he disliked Mozart's "detaché" and less cantabile playing (while he of course admired Mozart as a composer unconditionally) and I think Beethoven spoke well of Clementi's playing but I might be confusing of conflating thing. In any case there seems to have been a change of taste involved that was not directly dependent on technical prowess.
Czerny and Dussek are younger, so probably they were better and Czerny is of course a Godfather of later piano playing but as far as I recall Clementi was recognized as the pioneer of the then (early 1800s) modern playing style.
That's what Czerny claims Beethoven told him, that Mozart's playing was too staccato, but Ferdinand Ries also said Beethoven regretted he never heard Mozart play the piano. I don't remember reading about Beethoven regarding Clementi's playing, only his preference for Clementi's sonatas. Mozart wouldn't have had any reason to be jealous of Clementi's playing since Mozart's reputation as a pianist and improviser was already firmly established in Vienna and, for the most part, his style of playing was preferred by musicians and connoisseurs, at least, according to Dittersdorf's reported exchange with the Emperor. Mozart's preeminence as a pianist is something that stayed with him throughout his life and seems like an aspect that's downplayed these days in respect to his accomplishments as a composer. The success of the concert he gave in Prague in 1787 performing variations on "non piu andrai" for half an hour is one of the most-cited and the effects it had on Stepanek, Niemetschek, and the audience doesn't give the impression of Mozart as pianistically rusty or unpracticed.