Your top 10 techniques of all time?

[opus10no2]

Considering mech under this heading also, who makes your list?

This must consider *prime* techs only, ideally, but Rach's recordings among others were past their physical peak, but still worthy.

[rob47]

1. gavrilov, richter, weissenberg
2. cziffra, horowitz, rachmaninoff
3. gilels, rubenstein, moiseiwitsch
4. MA hamelin, john ogdon
5. annie fischer, AB michaelangeli, Jorge Bolet
6. horacio gutierrez, boris berezovsky, pierre aimard laurent
7. martha argerich, simon barere, glenn gould, maurizio pollini, Fou T'song, William Kappell, Ronald Turini, Vladimir Ashkenzay
8. Byron Janis
9. Leif Oves Andsnes, Piers Lane, Kissin
10. Lang Lang

poss

[rob47]

also Vadim Rudenko, Franscesco Libetta, Mei-Ting Sun, Ingolf Wunder could be tied with LL for  more than a bit impressive tech

so there is my top 34 techs 

[rob47]

one more thing

 once pianists reach a certain level and "realize how small they are" (cziffra quote),  anyone of the thousands and thousands and thousands of greats could, with little or no trouble at all, take the crown of "best tech"

[daniloperusina]

1. Artur Schnabel
2. Artur Schnabel
3. Artur Schnabel
etc
for his uncanny technical ability at shaping Beethoven's music, pulling off unbeleivable musical stunts!

[franzliszt2]

1) Arrau (just look at the way he moves and the total ease. And his hand shape! Straight fingers, and the angle they are in relation to his hand. And the sound it produces.

2) Josef Hoffman.....just look at that vidio of him playing Rach prelude!! So fluid and just so much at home with the piano.

3) I'm inclined to say Godowsky...I've seen 4 seconds of him playing when he was old, and he has same shape as Arrau. And in picture he does as well. So I'm guessing his, and by reputaion.

4) Jorge Bolet...listen to his Tanhausser live from the Carnegie hall recital and you'll understand why

5) Richter...such amazing range of sound

6) Rubinstein...amaizng sound!!! Just look at the way he moves as well.

7) Zimmerman....amazing clarity and musicianship combined. His scales are amazing!

Ronald Smith....I should rank him first as my whole technique is based on the techniques of his students who he taught it to. And I adopted it becasue I was sick of my fingery approach which created a bad sound.

9) Michalangeli...who wouldn't want note perfection all the time if they could without sacrifycing saftey..howvere his rep was limited, but still, he's amazing.

10) Horowitz... amazing. I love the way he starts pieces. It's fantastic. And the sounds he produces are amazing considering the way his hand shape is.

[jakev2.0]

10. Barere/Cziffra
9. Gavrilov/Berezovsky
8. Richter/Gilels
7. Moiseiwitsch/Schnabel
6. Arrau/Michelangeli
5. Horowitz
4. Friedman
3. Rachmaninoff
2. Gould
1. Hofmann

[gerry]

I'm always amazed as I watch Horowitz - how he can keep those hands so flat and steady while bringing out with such crystal clarity not only the the melodic lines but select inner ones as well.

Bye-the-way, is it my imagination or is there some sort of general consensus that is down on Lang Lang. In what little I've seen and heard, I realize he appears as something of a showman but he has such incredible bodily and athletic freedom I find myself fascinated watching him- to observe his expressions it's almost as if he is sitting in the audience listening to someone else play.  Anyway, I guess he is one of those that one either loves or hates - no middle ground. It will be interesting to watch wherre his genius will take him as he matures. I just would like to know why he seldom appears up there with the greats in the opinion polls.

[pianistimo]

'prime' techniques?  are we talking christopher o'reilly's from the top with proficient and technically masterful artists under the age of 20.  that's ok by me for a few hours - but i like to hear mid-life and old people play, too.

perhaps the most 'technically proficient' in the purest sense would be keith jarrett or chick corea or somebody who can just play around with the piano.  pianowolfi did impress me, too - with idle wondering about the piano as if he was swimming in the keys. 

classical pianists sometimes tend to overlearn repertoire to the detriment of actually knowing what is going on.  then, they have to catch up in college.  but, most don't have the time or energy.  it is a rare few that are proficient technically in sightreading, eartraining, theory, piano technique, teaching, performing with passion.  it's basically a lifetime thing to get rid of deficits.

i don't view technicians with as much awe anymore because some of it is 'flashy.'  i'd like to hear someone technically proficient and mentally 'there' in the music as well.  someone who has experienced life and who can bring a lot of passion into it.

ok.  i've been thinking this entire time - and still my answer is barry douglas.  he is in the prime of his life.  has taken on learning about conducting.  knows a lot about the in's and out's of piano - and also - can 'hear' from some source of 'light' the beams in the music and where to bring them out so that the audience can sit back and not be stressing over minutia.

2. pogorelich
the rest can be under 20. some really great recitals can be given by very young people.  i forgot to mention  my teacher carl cranmer - of which i actually place above barry douglas barely.  they are in a tie kind of.

[michael_langlois]

Garrick Ohlsson, anyone?

[pianistimo]

yes!  excellent accompanist, too.  all around good musician. 

[elevateme_returns]

4. MA hamelin
9. Kissin

you'd really put hamelin 5 places above kissin?? kissin is fab but technically hamelin wouldnt even be in my top 25

[thalberg]

I'd put perahia and argerich at 1 and 2.  Perahia because of his sound, Argerich because of her insane speed and clarity.  Many would disagree with me about Perahia, but that's only because you haven't heard him live. I didn't care for him until I heard him live, then suddenly he was my number 1.  He's unbelievable live.  You won't beleive it till you see it.

[michael_langlois]

{Sings "Can't Touch This"}

[gerry]

Garrick Ohlsson, anyone?

Saw him live recently - he nailed the Prokofiev 6 and the Liszt b minor - very impressive.

[pita bread]

Saw him live recently - he nailed the Prokofiev 6 and the Liszt b minor - very impressive.

You sure it wasn't the Prokofiev 7?

The program I say him play at the Walt Disney Concert Hall was:

Beethoven Sonata Op. 90
Liszt Sonata
Szymanowski Masques
Prokofiev Sonata #7

[gerry]

Of course you're correct, it was the 7th (senior moment). He played the same concert here in Santa Rosa to a 2/3rds full audience - sigh - such apathy up here - so many don't know what they missed - and only $35/tix !!

[pita bread]

I got in for free 

[gerry]

For encores: Chopin Waltz Op34 #3 and of all things Rach's C#m Prelude.

[g.gould]

1. Sokolov
2. Pogorelich
3. Horowitz
4. Hamelin
5. Richter
6. Cziffra
7. Schiff
8. Kissin
9. Yundi li
10. Pollini

[jlh]

1. Sokolov
2. Pogorelich
3. Horowitz
4. Hamelin
5. Richter
6. Cziffra
7. Schiff
8. Kissin
9. Yundi li
10. Pollini

Randomly, why isn't Gould in your top 10? 

[dutch_pianist]

1. Horowitz because he had everything from extreme pianissimo's to extreme fortissimo's. he wasn't the fastest player, though.
2. Argerich
3. Richter (I was deeply impressed by his etude op 42-5 by Scriabin)
4. Gilels
5. Kissin
6. Volodos
7. Sokolov
8. Volodos
9. Hough.
10. Cziffra.

[g.gould]

Randomly, why isn't Gould in your top 10? 

I chose the name G.gould to my username just because he was available not because I like his playing

[nicco]

I chose the name G.gould to my username just because he was available not because I like his playing

...lol. You are smart.

[sevencircles]

you'd really put hamelin 5 places above kissin?? kissin is fab but technically hamelin wouldnt even be in my top 25

Kissin wouldn´t be in my top 25

Never heard any liverecording by him ever that impressed me nearly as much as Hamelin´s greatest recordings (Nothing Kissin has done as an adult at least)

[etudes]

I'd put perahia and argerich at 1 and 2.  Perahia because of his sound, Argerich because of her insane speed and clarity.  Many would disagree with me about Perahia, but that's only because you haven't heard him live. I didn't care for him until I heard him live, then suddenly he was my number 1.  He's unbelievable live.  You won't beleive it till you see it.

happened to me as well...with the true god ingolf WUNDER..his live sound is the best sound from piano I have ever heard I would dare to say much better than sokolov,Pollini,Pogorelich,LL ....too bad for many people here who judge him as an idiot or a stupid pianist before they witness how genius Mr.true god actually is

[hodi]

hamelin and volodos.

[thalbergmad]

1. Horowitz because he had everything from extreme pianissimo's to extreme fortissimo's. he wasn't the fastest player, though.
2. Argerich
3. Richter (I was deeply impressed by his etude op 42-5 by Scriabin)
4. Gilels
5. Kissin
6. Volodos
7. Sokolov
8. Volodos
9. Hough.
10. Cziffra.

Volodos made it twice in your list.

He must be good.

Thal

[pita bread]

For encores: Chopin Waltz Op34 #3 and of all things Rach's C#m Prelude.

Hm, for us, he encored three Chopin Waltzes.

[elevateme_returns]

Kissin wouldn´t be in my top 25

Never heard any liverecording by him ever that impressed me nearly as much as Hamelin´s greatest recordings (Nothing Kissin has done as an adult at least)

are we talking technique? surely hamelin doesnt come anywhere near kissin?

[opus10no2]

Obviously different people have different definitions.

Broadly, the main 2 are -

The ability to play the notes with the most physical command, accurately and evenly

Dynamics/Tone

We cannot bring in rhythm, because that is an element of musicality, and even the dynamic element is difficult to judge because of the inherently musical relation.

A pianist really only has 2 things to work with - volume and time.

It's funny, technique is all about command of velocity - velocity of individual finger strikes for dynamics, and allround velocity of groups of notes for the first definition.

Taking away the subjectively related musical elements, it all comes again back to fast fingers.

Yes, Hamelin has faster fingers than Kissin.

[elevateme_returns]

technique isnt about velocity, its about the quality of the sound produced. hamelin's sound just isnt there, lots of top pianists say that, whereas kissin's is. and where's the proof that hamelin's fingers are faster than kissin's anyway??

[opus10no2]

The uality of the sound produced is all about the relations between the different key strokes, which is all about command of velocity.

You say Hamelin's sound isn't there, but it doesn't convince anyone, it's a subjective statement and holds zero weight.

You bring up the inherent difficulty of comparing when both pianists barely have any cross-over repertoire.

It just seems obvious to me, from various recordings and videos, that Hamelin has the superior mechanism.

[elevateme_returns]

have you seen hamelin live? im sure you would think differently if you saw him live

[sevencircles]

have you seen hamelin live? im sure you would think differently if you saw him live

Fastest  fingers is one thing but fastest coordinated fingers is something else

I have  never heard Kissin play anything more technically demanding then this live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSBZwQHym2U

I am not even sure that I have heard him play anything that beats this piece by Jakob Gimpel from a technical standpoint

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHkDmF8QQ8

Hamelin is all over youtube  just search for Hamelin and you get a lot of hits

[elevateme_returns]

the alkan concerto is great music. i wish there was someone better than hamelin at the forefront of alkan performers. perhaps he would be more popular if there was.

jack gibbons is good

[opus10no2]

have you seen hamelin live? im sure you would think differently if you saw him live

Yes, I have, and was very impressed.

I have never heard Kissin play anything more technically demanding then this live

Well, that isn't really relevant, Kissin sticks to mainstream repertoire and it's still possible to truly unleash the same level of physical dexterity in those pieces.

Point is, on a NPS ratio in passages of similar figuration, Hamelin comes out on top when both are on form.