The greatest pianist ever technique-wise

[wildman]

After much thought, I finally decided to make a list of some of the greatest and most influential pianists known to live. I might be asking who literally is the best, but such a question would require intense debate and is rather subjective to personal preference.

So, to narrow it down, I wanted to find out which pianist had the greatest technical skill of all time. The list includes well-known virtuosos. Take your pick.

Bach is not included since there never was a piano in his time (the piano is still different from the Harpsichord, isn't it?).

I've also included the famous Jazz keyboardists because I recognize Jazz as another form of classical music. Jazz seems to be somehow partially absent in this forum (correct me if I'm wrong, though).

I'm aware that the list may not be complete, so please tell me those I've missed.

Now, DEBATE!!!

[pianisten1989]

O M G! How are we supposed to know how Liszt and Chopin played? We have their composition, and some letters, but that's it. And where is Volodos and Godowsky (if Chopin and Liszt are there, Godowsky should also be there)

[perfect_pitch]

What about bloody Maurizio Pollini???

Where's he on the Poll???

[pianisten1989]

Was RimsKy-Korsakov even a pianist? He wrote some piano pieces, but nothing special.

[djealnla]

If Liszt is in the poll, then we might also include Bizet and Saint-Saëns. Also, where are pianists like Hamelin, Pace, the Takahashis et al.?

[djealnla]

Also, no Hofmann, Pollini and Michelangeli? Seriously?

[thalbergmad]

This is daft. Unless I am much mistaken, everyone on that list is dead and the vast majority of us would not have seen any of them playing live.

Thal

[perfect_pitch]

This is daft. Unless I am much mistaken, everyone on that list is dead and the vast majority of us would not have seen any of them playing live.

That or the fact that there was no audio recordings of them either. Who's ever heard Liszt play? Or Chopin?

[pianisten1989]

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[djealnla]

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Meaning?

[christefan]

If you want to do a poll on the greatest pianist you should come up with a MUCH more extensive list--you're missing so many great technicians of the piano that your poll is very limited

[pianisten1989]

Meaning?

that I wrote something, but deleted it...

[redbaron]

Rimsky-Korsakov was certainly not a pianist. He could probably play the instrument to some degree but he was definitely not a pianist in the performing sense. And why have you included jazz pianists?

[perfect_pitch]

Sorry wildman - but as this poll stands, I think it's a failure...

A lot of the composers have never been recorded, some are Jazz pianists, not classical pianists so how is anyone supposed to compare their technical efficiency when playing Jazz and classical are ENTIRELY different.

[iratior]

But Martha Argerich could play circles around any of those listed above.

[thalbergmad]

I take then you have heard live all in the list, otherwise you could not justify your comment.

Thal

[iratior]

If a criterion for whether somebody can judge the technique of pianists is going to be that they heard them perform live, then no one would be justified in making any judgments whatever about this matter, and the question would be unanswerable.  But one presumes that the person who asked the question did not seek thus to trick the public.

[thalbergmad]

The question is unanswerable.

Thal

[ongaku_oniko]

You're all wrong. In terms of the greatest technique, it is this

Well, I don't mean that one exactly, but you know what I mean; there's no way any of the above pianists can match a will made one of those... I don't need to hear chopin or liszt to know this

[wildman]

hmm...looks like this is indeed a failure.

Seems like we can't actually judge one's own technique, and it didn't seem the main focus of any renowned pianists at all...

[hannah9]

Was RimsKy-Korsakov even a pianist? He wrote some piano pieces, but nothing special.

special enough for you to know his name

[edwardweiss]

 Where the hell is Ferruccio Busoni on this list? I guess he was just a bit better technically than Fats Waller!

[pianoplayjl]

I reckon Cziffra had the most remarkable technique ever. I especially like his recording of Grand galop Chromatique.

[keyboardkat]

Every once in a while the tantalizing rumor of a Liszt cylinder surfaces.   Wouldn't that be something.

And as far as jazz pianists go, Art Tatum is supposed to have had such incredible technique that Horowitz used to go incognito, with dark glasses and a hat pulled low on his head, to clubs where Tatum was playing, and take notes on Tatum's technique.

[pianoplayjl]

I also like Richter because he makes everything he plays look so easy. One thing that I don't like about Richter is that he plays etudes  so fast it sounds like he's having a race. But there is the purpose of the etude in which that one must master the music and the technique, which he has done very, very well.

[leonidli]

In terms of technique, again I stress, the sheer mechanical capacity, Marc-Andre Hamelin has to be the greatest pianist ever. To paraphrase: no one's technique can be better than Hamelin because nothing is better than perfection.

[pianoplayjl]

I reckon Hamelin is the greatest pianist of 21st century so far.

[leonidli]

I reckon Hamelin is the greatest pianist of 21st century so far.

I would agree if we are only talking about the technique... Hamelin is great, no doubt about that, but generally for the title "the greatest pianist of 21st century so far" I would favour Pollini or Brendel more.

[sevencircles]

In terms of technique, again I stress, the sheer mechanical capacity, Marc-Andre Hamelin has to be the greatest pianist ever. To paraphrase: no one's technique can be better than Hamelin because nothing is better than perfection.

Hamelin is often far from perfect live 

[octavius_trillson]

How are we to measure technique, if we talking about sheer speed then pianists like Cizffra, Yuja Wang, Kissin and Volodos could probably wipe the floor with Hamelin in any one piece. So far as I know Hamelin hasn't recorded Liszt's transcriptions of Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique or the transcriptions any of the Beethoven Symphonies whereas Leslie Howard has done so and is far from sluggish in the recordings.
We simply can't answer such questions because there is no definitive test to determine who is the greatest technician. It's not the same as asking who is the tallest or who has the most wins.

[sevencircles]

We simply can't answer such questions because there is no definitive test to determine who is the greatest technician. It's not the same as asking who is the tallest or who has the most wins.

True, what we can do is measure speed, accuracy etc. when using different techniques like octaves, arpeggios, coordination of the hands in counterpointmelodies etc.

We can always make a list of different piano techniques 

Fastest octaves=

Fastest wide interwall leaps=

Fastest  arpeggios=

Fastest doublethirds=

There are many more respects of course 

[octavius_trillson]

Then someone should make this test where everyone's octaves e.t.c are timed and recorded for future reference and everyone in the world should take this test when they are in optimal health then we can determine who is the best technician. The test doesn't exist, even if it did we couldn't test everyone, the question cannot be answered.

[sevencircles]

Then someone should make this test where everyone's octaves e.t.c are timed and recorded for future reference and everyone in the world should take this test when they are in optimal health then we can determine who is the best technician. The test doesn't exist, even if it did we couldn't test everyone, the question cannot be answered.

You can compare many pianists playing the same piece, it´s true that many pianists rarely play fullspeed but you can compare their technique in some way if you see them perform the same piece live.

The chopin etudes are great to compare in this respect since the focus on a specific technique.

[revanyoda777]

I'm actually surprised nobody mentioned Lang Lang yet. I would personally go with either Cziffra or Glenn Gould. There's no Chopin or Liszt in his repetoire but his Bach is absolutely superhuman.

[fftransform]

None of the above.  Aside from people like Ian Pace, David Tudor, Massimiliano Damerini etc., where are Fiorentino, Katsaris, Friedman, Libetta, Hamelin, Hofmann, Argerich, Janis, Aimard, D. Smith, Pogorelich, Sofronitsky and Entremont?  I would rank any of them higher than any of the pianists on your list, perhaps excluding Berman and Cziffra (edit: you don't even have Lazar Berman.  what).  As well, putting Rimsky-Korsakov (that's how it's spelled), Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Liszt in such a list is stupid; nobody here has heard them play.  And judging by the stylistic norms of the early 20th century, it would be easy to construct a fairly strong argument to the effect that they were likely not especially good pianists, compared to the technique of concert pianists today.  That is certainly true of nearly every other instrument; why wouldn't it be true of the piano?  And Rimsky-Korsakov was not considered a piano virtuoso, regardless!  Just what.

[fftransform]

Leslie Howard has done so and is far from sluggish.

You're clearly not referring to his recordings for Hyperion, then.  Please direct us to the recording you are referring to.

[pianoplayjl]

I forgot about howard. he recorded the complete liszt works so yes, I think he deserves to stand alongside liszt.

[octavius_trillson]

You're clearly not referring to his recordings for Hyperion, then.  Please direct us to the recording you are referring to.

According to the poster this is the Hyperion recording. I'd be genuinely amazed if this is meant to be played faster?

[forgottenbooks]

It isn't surprising to see that the vast majority have voted Liszt. But I do hold that, for our complete lack of knowledge of how Liszt played, it isn't fair to say that he definitely was better than any of the virtuosi whose playing we are familiar with - e.g. Rachmaninoff, Godowsky, Hoffman, or Horowitz. Also, your list doesn't include several pianists who I think have amazing techniques (Godowsky, Hoffman, and Lhevinne, for example). After a point, I think, opinions on pianism are just that - opinions.

[pianoplayjl]

It isn't surprising to see that the vast majority have voted Liszt. But I do hold that, for our complete lack of knowledge of how Liszt played, it isn't fair to say that he definitely was better than any of the virtuosi whose playing we are familiar with - e.g. Rachmaninoff, Godowsky, Hoffman, or Horowitz. Also, your list doesn't include several pianists who I think have amazing techniques (Godowsky, Hoffman, and Lhevinne, for example). After a point, I think, opinions on pianism are just that - opinions.

True. The only basis for Liszt's technique is the written accounts.