Not limited to any particular composer.
There is a thread on Rachmaninov piano concertos
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25534.0.html (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.
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.
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.
Always liked John Ogdon. Especially his performance of the epic Busoni PC.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ogdon
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
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
Rosen, though not necessarily for his pianism.
Quote from: karlhenning on August 11, 2016, 06:14:49 AM
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...
No longer living: Richter
Living: Mustonen, Hamelin
Ever: Perahia, Schiff, Wilde, Leon Fleischer
Recent: Yuja Wang
David Tudor
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
Glenn Gould
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.
Quote from: Holden on August 13, 2016, 06:27:54 PM
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.
Quote from: Holden on August 13, 2016, 06:27:54 PM
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.
The three Gs: Gould, Gilels, Grimaud
Sarge
Aimard, Tudor
I add Claude Frank and Richard Goode.
Gilels (whom I discovered through a certain sergeant), Moravec and, after seeing him live, Sokolov.
John Ogdon
Kempff
Lortie
Pollini
Hewitt
Arrau
Schiff
Brendel
Argerich
Aimard
(Picking one seems impossible)
If I pick just one it's Kempff. Perahia, Hewitt, Argerich, Schiff, and Brendel are high up there. I have a soft spot for Vasary and Sandor. Horowitz might make the top 300.
Quote from: Ken B on August 28, 2016, 02:46:51 PM
Horowitz might make the top 300.
Your new avatar was, no doubt, a great find. Perfect match between image and personality. :P :D ;D
Maria Tipo, Brigitte Engerer, Guiomar Novaes, Ingrid Haebler.
Dinu Lipatti, Thierry de Brunhoff, Tamas Vasary, Samson Francois, Alfred Cortot.
The best pianists I've seen live: Andrei Gavrilov, Nikolai Demidenko, Evgeni Kissin, Yuja Wang, Valentin Gheorghiu.
(in no particular order except for Gavrilov)
Bruno Leonardo Gelber to my mind is in a class of his own. He has that extra something.
Evgeny Kissin is a current favorite.
Otherwise, the late greats are Rachmaninoff, Cortot, Arrau (not everything, in particular when he takes ultra slow tempi), Horowitz, Rubinstein (I am appreciating him more and more), Gould for Bach, Jorge Bolet and Gyorgy Cziffra (the man for Liszt!)
Funny about Cortot, I am not sure young musicians appreciate him as much. I had an argument a couple years ago with a guy who pooh-poohed his ultra romanticism and missed notes. OK, they didn't have the kind of correction technology they do today. He would have had to do takes from the beginning and something of the spontaneity would have been lost repeating something umteen times.
Quote from: Ken B on August 28, 2016, 02:46:51 PMIf I pick just one it's Kempff. Perahia, Hewitt, Argerich, Schiff, and Brendel are high up there.
How on Earth did I forget Brendel?!
Bad, bad Rinaldo.
Seems like Nicolas Hodges is probably the best right now.
Friedrich Gulda
Paul Badura-Skoda
Piet van Kuijken
Jos van Immerseel
Malcolm Bilson
Can i bend the rules and include Hiromi?
Quote from: jessop on September 08, 2016, 03:41:08 AM
Can i bend the rules and include Hiromi?
Oh, gosh, include her on my list!
I can't pick a favourite, even though names like Kempff, Arrau, Pires and Rosen came to mind rather quickly.
But actually I think that my favourite pianist has been and will always be Chico Marx.
His grumbling brother would disagree of course, but at least I've got the lovely (though ill-fated) Telma Todd on my side.
https://www.youtube.com/v/3kDHD4Bs_EI
Michelangeli, of living Zimerman and Sokolov.
I have gradually warmed to Glenn Gould despite his vocal accompaniment, it started with the Goldberg variations and now the rest of Bach's works.
.
Quote from: Andante on September 08, 2016, 03:49:17 PM
I have gradually warmed to Glenn Gould despite his vocal accompaniment, it started with the Goldberg variations and now the rest of Bach's works.
.
You might find this useful
http://www.davegrossman.net/gould/ (http://www.davegrossman.net/gould/)
Quote from: Ken B on September 08, 2016, 04:52:53 PM
You might find this useful
http://www.davegrossman.net/gould/ (http://www.davegrossman.net/gould/)
Very good actually I would miss it if removed, but he has a very light touch compared to some ham fisted piano players ;D
Going for pianists who have a broad command of repertory...leaving out people like Hewitt who are best in one or two areas only (in her case, Bach and the French)
Deceased or retired
Rubinstein
Richter
Brendel
Older generation but still active
Perahia
Argerich
Friere
Pollini
Schiff
In mid career, assuming normal life spans
Hamelin
Andsnes
Younger generation
Several candidates but hard to pick any who match my criteria
Maurizio Pollini
Martha Argerich
Nikolai Demidenko
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Bill Evans