Favorite Pianist

[USMC1960s]

Not limited to any particular composer.

[Spineur]

There is a thread on Rachmaninov piano concertos

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25534.0.html
As you will see everybody came up with a different pianist !  My answer was Nicolai Lugansky, but I must admit that some of the other pianist cited are also quite good.

[USMC1960s]

Thank you.

That other thread is a very good one.

Much appreciated.....accordingly, I changed my first post from "Especially Rachmaninoff piano concertos" to "Not Limited to Any Particular Composer", which will assist me even more, as I explore various composer's works.

[mc ukrneal]

That is such a difficult question. There are so many good ones these days, not to mention those who have already passed. One of my favorites (not sure I have A favorite) is Rudolf Firkusny. He made some wonderful performances. My favorite single disc of his (and perhaps of that composer too) is one of Beethoven sonatas (8,14,21,30). A stunner, with the only drawback being less than ideal sound. But the performance is top notch. He also has several recordings in the Steinberg box that are excellent. He studied with Janacek, so some of those performances (of Janacek) are simply not to be missed.

[vandermolen]

Always liked John Ogdon. Especially his performance of the epic Busoni PC.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ogdon

[Karl Henning]

As near as I could give a single pianist as an answer . . . I might have to say Martha Argerich:

http://www.youtube.com/v/DdshoF6ITp0

[bhodges]

Argerich is probably one of those dozen or so pianists, living or dead, who seem on another plane.

So many superb pianists around these days, it is tempting to think we live in a "golden age" of keyboard artists. If I had to choose just one, though, it is probably Marc-André Hamelin. I have heard him live perhaps 10 or 12 times. Of his recordings, my favorites are these:

Kaleidoscope - a collection of encores by many different composers
[asin]B00005QIT6[/asin]

Medtner: Forgotten Melodies I and II
[asin]B000F2C9SO[/asin]

Shostakovich and Shchedrin: Piano Concertos
[asin]B0000DJEND[/asin]

--Bruce

[(poco) Sforzando]

Rosen, though not necessarily for his pianism.

[Spineur]

As near as I could give a single pianist as an answer . . . I might have to say Martha Argerich:

What I really appreciate about Martha is her effort to popularize music for two, three pianos or 4 hands either original and transcription.She has her universe, and Mozart isnt really her thing.

Somehow I think any great pianist builds a special relation to a specific repertory.
Glenn Gould and Bach
Maria Juao Pires and Mozart
Claudio Arrau and Beethoven
Sansom Francois and Ravel
and so on.

But for me the two biggest monuments are Sviatoslav Richter and Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli.

I usually dont like to accumulate several versions of any given pieces.  Except for major piano works:  Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt...

Anyway, I love the piano and I am an easy sucker...

[springrite]

No longer living: Richter

Living: Mustonen, Hamelin

[PerfectWagnerite]

Ever: Perahia, Schiff, Wilde, Leon Fleischer
Recent: Yuja Wang

[some guy]

David Tudor

[ritter]

Some names that come immediately to mind:

Ammong the dead:
- Paul Jacobs
- Marcelle Meyer
- Charles Rosen
- Aldo Ciccolini
Among the living:
- Maurizio Pollini
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard
- Gianluca Cascioli

[James]

Glenn Gould

[Holden]

Impossible to have just one pianist, even for specific repertoire so I looked at my music collection and three names jumped out at me

Richter

Rubinstein

Fiorentino

All passed on of course. So is there a pianist recording today who I would be excited about hearing that they released a new recording? I wouldn't necessarily get it but I would be expectant. Only two names definitively come to mind - Sokolov and Hamelin.

[The new erato]

Impossible to have just one pianist, even for specific repertoire so I looked at my music collection and three names jumped out at me

That is so true. But Richter, Rubinstein and Argerich have always seemed special to me. But also Gould and Perahia in Bach, Michelangeli in Scarlatti, Gilels in Beethoven....on and on it goes.

[Spineur]

So is there a pianist recording today who I would be excited about hearing that they released a new recording?

You may give a listen to Arkadi Volodos and Alexei Lubimov.  Their musical personalities are immenses.  Unfortunately Arkady Volodos records little.  He gives quite a few concerts though.
Among the young generation I would follow Bertrand Chamayou.  His Ravel recording is noteworthy.

[Sergeant Rock]

The three Gs: Gould, Gilels, Grimaud

Sarge

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Aimard, Tudor

[PerfectWagnerite]

I add Claude Frank and Richard Goode.