What question is more relevant?

[prometheus]

I wonder about this.

[janne p.]

I would have to say pianist, as new pianists can provide both new viewpoints and interpretations on one's favourite composers' works as well as open up one's eyes for some new/other composer/piece (I can't even compare how much more often I've got to know a new piece/composer by listening to a CD/recital/TV programme than by reading the sheet music myself), this is the more relevant question for me as by asking it I can find both fresh oldies and fresh newies!

[xvimbi]

Without composers, there wouldn't be anything to play (improvisation is composing, too)

So, how can one even ask such a question?

You must have figured out by now that I am not a big fan of questions like these

[Skeptopotamus]

composers, cause without pianists we would still have MIDI ^^

[prometheus]

Well, this poll is quite different from all the others we had. What do people collect more often? Everything of their favorite composer or everything of their favorite pianist? Which of these questions do you ask first when discussion classical music? Etc...

This gives insight in how other people think about music.

[janne p.]

Without composers, there wouldn't be anything to play (improvisation is composing, too)

So, how can one even ask such a question?

You must have figured out by now that I am not a big fan of questions like these

The question wasn't: "Which is more important: composers or pianists?"

[xvimbi]

The question wasn't: "Which is more important: composers or pianists?"

Well, what is the question actually? As posed, the question is incomplete: "what question is more relevant"? For what, I ask? Without specifying in what context something should be of relevance, the question is unponderable.

[janne p.]

Well, as it isn't specified, I assume the question is to be discussed with fellow piano enthusiasts like for example on this forum.

And as I stated earlier, for me it's more relevant to find new pianists as that way I can find new composers and compositions in addition to the pianist. If I like his/her playing, I'll probably try something I haven't heard 'cause I know s/he'll (probably) do it well.
Now if you turn it around and ask who someone's favourite composer is, maybe I'll check him/her out and hear a lousy version of his/her pieces and therefore drop the composer or at least those pieces. So, next time I'm encountered with the possibility to hear that piece, I might reject it and miss a great interpretation that might have blown me away. Of course this can happen with pianists as well (some get better, some get worse) but if some piano enthusiast (as most of us on this forum are) provides me with info on a for me unknown pianist which is his/her favourite, I'm more likely to encounter more good unknown music (and new versions of known music!) than if I get a composer's name.

Summa summarum: Good music can get stained in the hands of bad pianists, but good pianists can't get stained by bad music.