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Piano Board => Repertoire => Topic started by: stormx on February 24, 2005, 12:14:09 PM

Title: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: stormx on February 24, 2005, 12:14:09 PM
Hi !!

I wonder who is the favorite composer of each famous pianist (if they were allowed to pick un ONLY ONE).

Of course, looking at his recordings gives a big clue, but i can imagine that some pianists did record some material because of commercial reasons (tough i doubt that they find it disgusting).

Probably a better way to decide is to look at their concert programmes, but even in those cases i wonder whether the pianist is 100% free to choose whatever he wants to play.

Last, but the most effective, is to know it by having read some interview where the pianist was asked that exact question !!  :)

So, can you give a list?  :o
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: lenny on February 24, 2005, 01:18:16 PM
gould- gibbons

yundi li + rubinstein - chopin ( i think)

im not sure on horowitz's favourite - but i think it may well have been schumann
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: pianonut on February 24, 2005, 03:25:34 PM
as it happens, just this morning read an article (completely off topic) about glen gould and how he may have gotten his love for gibbons from his teacher.  i read it in the times literary supplement under music/opera:

www.the-tls.co.uk/this_week/story.aspx?story_id=2108219

(the line between story and id could be a dash)
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: pianonut on February 24, 2005, 03:28:47 PM
ps  the way murray perahia plays mozart, i would say he must love him!  i've been listening over and over to several piano concertos.  (he wrote his own cadenzas to go with mozarts piano concerto #21)
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: pianonut on February 24, 2005, 03:36:16 PM
pss  just so you know, i happen to like glen gould a lot and think he was capable of choosing his own favorite pianists.  not everything in the article is unbiased, but it is interesting some of the facts about his life and what he liked/disliked.
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: Skeptopotamus on February 24, 2005, 04:05:08 PM
scarlatti- but that's like askingwhat animal's urine i want to drink
Beethoven
Liszt
Ravel
Rautavaara
Glass
Ginastera
Ligeti
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: DarkWind on February 24, 2005, 06:12:25 PM
Skeptopotamus, what on earth are you rambling on about? Your post really confused me. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Rubinstein might have had a Spanish composer as is favorite, but I'm not sure.
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: Skeptopotamus on February 24, 2005, 06:22:20 PM
hehe oops i totally misread the thingy.  ignore me.  sorry i just woke up...
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: musik_man on February 24, 2005, 07:37:04 PM
At least later in his life, Horowitz's favorite composer was Mozart. 
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: Radix on February 25, 2005, 03:44:25 AM
At least later in his life, Horowitz's favorite composer was Mozart. 

Even though his Mozart has never been credited for being that great.
Title: Re: Favorite composer of each famous pianist?
Post by: lenny on February 25, 2005, 03:52:35 AM


Even though his Mozart has never been credited for being that great.

i consider his mozart to be some of the best ive ever heard.

perahia and sciff are also great, among others, but horowitz is so colourful, so awesome.

id rather listen to his mozart than just about anyone else's.