When are piano players in their prime?

[Septimus314]

Is it the day before they die? or is it in their 20's?  I'm just wondering, because I started recently and I am now 18 years old.  I'm not worried because at best this is a fun hobby for me, didn't really plan on a career in it although that would be cool too.

[allchopin]

id say that since playing the piano doesnt require great amounts of strength, your latest years (if you keep practicing, that is) will be your best.  Take, for example, Vladimir and Artur, both older men who were best known as, older men.  When youre older you well generally have more experince and thus, a better interpretation of pieces.

[tph]

I think a distinction must be made about what one means by "prime".  allchopin refers to maturity of conception, but that is not to say that either Horowitz or Rubinstein were not known or accomplished for their feats before they were old men - far from it.  They were well known all throughout their careers.

In terms of physical peak, I doubt few would contend the assertion that one's best years are from late teens to mid-life.  This is simply a biological fact.  Granted, many pianists still go on to play exceptionally well in their old age, but I suspect that compromises are made.  In terms of physical conditioning, pianists are no different from sports people, I suspect.

Combine the physical with the spiritual, and I would say that one's overall prime is in late mid-life.  This leads me to make another distinction, and that is there's a difference between "prime" and prominence.  Perhaps it's a function of marketing, but there's probably an excess public focus on an artist's early years and final years.  It might be a fair question to ask how many musicians themselves would assert that those were their finest moments.

tph

[allchopin]

no actually heres a better answer: once you have mastered chopin's etudes, its prime time baby.

[BuyBuy]

It actually depends on the pianist, his way of life, practicing habits and so forth.

Samson François, a French pianist, was great in Debussy and Fauré in his twenties and early thirties. But he had an insane way of life, and by the time he died, he was anly the shadow of himself and played pretty bad.

If you take Rubinstein, now, I thing he was at the peak of his powers from his seventies (he recorded the Schubert Wanderer with an amazing power at that age).

[TwinkleFingers]

before arthritis sets in LOL!!!