Greatest musicians of all time?

[ihatepop]

No composers this time, thanks. COMPOSERS.Ok, in your own opinion, fill up the following:

1. Pianist
2. Violinist
3. Celloist
4. Singer (And I mean OPERA, NOT POP )

Thanks,

ihatepop

[prometheus]

Violin: L Shankar
Voice: Semmangundi, Balamuralikrishna and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan

[dnephi]

. Liszt
2. Heifetz
3. Pablo Casals
4. Pavarotti

[prometheus]

You have heard Liszt?

[franz_]

1. Pianist: Horowitz or Cziffra
2. Violinist: Menuhin or Oistrach
3. Celloist: Rostropovich
4. Singer: Cecilia Bartoli

[quasimodo]

Pianist: Art Tatum (LOL, ask me why)
Violin: Heifetz
Cello: Casals
Opera singer: Maria Callas

[dnephi]

You have heard Liszt?

You have lived for all time?

[bella musica]

You have lived for all time?

Yeah and besides, he was a composer...

[thierry13]

Yeah and besides, he was a composer...

That doesn't make him a less good musician. One doesn't forbid the other. Tough, it's true we can't REALLY know how a good musician he was.

[dnephi]

Brahms, who was scathingly critical, said, "If you haven't heard Liszt, you cannot speak of the piano."  He would cause people to cry from his passionate playing.  Myriads of these accounts are around.  Maybe Horowitz can make you cry, but probably not Cziffra. 

I think Liszt is at least equal technically, and from there he was so expressive, and on top an incredible innovator.

Just my opinion folks.


"Fish"

[thierry13]

Maybe Horowitz can make you cry, but probably not Cziffra. 

If you think that, then you only heard his most famous recording of virtuosic pieces. Cziffra can be absolutely musical and extremly sensitive.

[sevencircles]

Violin: L Shankar
Voice: Semmangundi, Balamuralikrishna and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan

Some indian musician especially the vocalists are simply superhuman.

L.Shankar is a bit uneven but sometimes he is alone in his greatness.

[arensky]

No composers this time, thanks. COMPOSERS.Ok, in your own opinion, fill up the following:

I will only consider performers from the grammophone era to the present. Paganini and Chopin and Malibran et al must have been stellar but we cannot really know.

1. Pianist

Josef Hofmann

2. Violinist

Nathan Milstein

3. Celloist

Jacqueline DuPre/Gregor Piatagorsky   (tossup)


4. Singer (And I mean OPERA, NOT POP )

Male: Jussi Bjoerling
Female: Maria Callas    

[bella musica]

That doesn't make him a less good musician. One doesn't forbid the other. Tough, it's true we can't REALLY know how a good musician he was.

Oh, I'm sure he was a stellar musician, just the rules of the poll say not to include composers

[brewtality]

I will only consider performers from the grammophone era to the present. Paganini and Chopin and Malibran et al must have been stellar but we cannot really know.

1. Pianist

Josef Hofmann

2. Violinist

Nathan Milstein

3. Celloist

Jacqueline DuPre/Gregor Piatagorsky    (tossup)

You have great taste my friend. 

Though, randomly I think these topics are kinda redundant.

[pianistimo]

you forgot the singers.  what do you think on those brewtality?  if i could somehow get into the recital programs of the summer festival at the mann center i would look to see who was the baritone soloist for beethoven's ninth.  he was stunning.  even though the sound system (being outdoors) was kinda muffling some of the finessed parts - his voice carried through.  one of the most beautiful i've heard in a long time.

cecilia bartoli is a really great diva, too.  i love mezzo-sopranos a little more than the 'high'  sopranos if i'm listening for a long time.

[prometheus]

Brahms, who was scathingly critical, said, "If you haven't heard Liszt, you cannot speak of the piano."

This just shows the absurdity of Brahms words. It would mean that no one would be allowed to say anything anymore about the piano. It would also mean no one would still be able to play the instrument since one would not be able to teach the piano.

No one alive has heard Liszt play. So no one can actually claim they think Liszt was a great musician. The fact that you base your assumtion that Liszt was excellent on a comment by Brahms means that it is not your opinion. It is Brahmses opinion. It would be a fallacy to claim that because of Brahms's authority Liszt can only been as great as he claimed.

Now we can very well assume that Liszt was really great, for his time, but no one can have an opinion on Liszt's playing. That is utterly impossible.

[prometheus]

Some indian musician especially the vocalists are simply superhuman.

L.Shankar is a bit uneven but sometimes he is alone in his greatness.

Actually, I just wanted to throw in some other names and try if I can expand some peoples borders. Though I think some people here stop taking all my opinions seriously because of my comments about music.

Also, I think that Mohammad Shajarian is great as well. It is persian music. When I listen to to sometimes I get a feeling that this is music from the time of Alexander the Great. A time long long before Mohammed and Islam and the arab invasions.

[thalbergmad]

1. Cziffra
2. Heifetz
3. Yo Yo Ma  (I just like his name)
4. Yma Sumac

Thal

[kreso]

Pianist: Sviatoslav Richter
Violinist: David Oistrach
Cellist: Mstislav Rostropovich
Singer: Maria Callas

[quasimodo]

3. Yo Yo Ma  (I just like his name)

Thal

LMAO

His Bach's Cello Suites are quite something.

[zheer]

   Rachmaninoff.

[practicingnow]

pianist: Vladimir Horowitz
violinist: David Oistrakh
cellist: Gregor Piatigorsky
singer: Mario Lanza

[andyd]

P:Arthur Tatum
V:Jascha Heifetz
C:probably Emanuel Feuermann
S:Kathleen Ferrier/Benianmino Gigli

Andy

P.S. Wasn't it Brahms who once pretended to snore after a few bars or Listz's playing?  Some comment on that particular performance.

[dnephi]

P:Arthur Tatum
V:Jascha Heifetz
C:probably Emanuel Feuermann
S:Kathleen Ferrier/Benianmino Gigli

Andy

P.S. Wasn't it Brahms who once pretended to snore after a few bars or Listz's playing?  Some comment on that particular performance.

Brahms didn't like program music.  And he didn't like Liszt's showy stuff.

[brewtality]

you forgot the singers.  what do you think on those brewtality? 

Actually, I haven't been able to get into classical singing. My experience with Maria Callas is limited to these concert videos on TV after her prime.

Randomly, I only like good 'pop' singer, my favourites being Frank Sinatra (when he was young) and Julie Andrews.

[alejo_90]

P:Emil Gilels
V:Nathan Milstein
C:Mstislav Rostropovich
S(M):Plácido Domingo
S(F):Cecilia Bartoli

Best
Alex

[willmillar27]

I feel compelled to agree with the Rachmaninoff - but what sways me back the other way is that he didn't have much of a repertoire outside his own music.

Definitely Placido Domingo though - he is the only person on the planet I would bow before if I met him!

[shun]

I'm not sure about singer, violinists, and cellists but I think Leopold Godowsky is right up there with the other pianist, even Joseph Hofmann said "He is the master of us all"

[nitrocan]

Pianist: Richter (Definitely)
Violin: no idea
Cello: Rostropovich
Singer: Pavarotti

[sevencircles]

[I feel compelled to agree with the Rachmaninoff - but what sways me back the other way is that he didn't have much of a repertoire outside his own music./quote]

Not sure about that.

He could play some Alkan like Comme Le Vente for instance and all of Beethoven´s Sonatas but never recorded them.

When I hear greatest musician I think of multi-instrumentalists.

Enescu is a name that comes to mind when you speak about the greatest multi instrumentalist.

[Waldszenen]

1. Vladimir Horowitz

2. Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh

3. Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich

4. I'm not that into vocal music


WHY NO CONDUCTORS?

[willmillar27]

I feel compelled to agree with the Rachmaninoff - but what sways me back the other way is that he didn't have much of a repertoire outside his own music.

Not sure about that.

https://www.belairmusic.com/Biographies.htm


You should never question my knowledge of Rachmaninoff

Will

[ramseytheii]

Wagner said that Liszt was the greatest musician of all time.
He was probably trying to secure a premiere!

Walter Ramsey

[gyzzzmo]

Its impossible to say 'best musician of ALL TIME' since you havent heard all the master musicians..........

Though i would like it if you could give me a cd of Chopin and Liszt playing stuff of their own.

Gyzzzmo

[apion]

pianist = Richter
Violin = Isaac Stern
Cello = Rostropovich / Piatigorsky

[ihatepop]

I thank everyone for their kind replys.

I don't regonise many violinists, celloists or singers but my piano vote has to go to Horowitz or Paderaswski (opss, did I spell that right?)

ihatepop

[arbisley]

Although this is a piano forum and piano is my first instrument, I feel more ready to answer on the other instruments!

Piano: don't know enough, maybe Brendel
Violin: Heifetz
Cello: Rostropovitch
Singing: male: Dmitri Hvorostovsky (the only one I've actually heard live alone)
              female: ?

[mikebechstein]

Pianist: Horowitz
Violin: Heifetz
Cello: Casals
Singer: Bjorling

[imbetter]

No composers this time, thanks. COMPOSERS.Ok, in your own opinion, fill up the following:

1. Pianist
2. Violinist
3. Celloist
4. Singer (And I mean OPERA, NOT POP )

Thanks,

ihatepop


Pianist: Pletnev
Violinist: Perlman
Celloist: Shao
Singer: Kelly Karlkson