Famous pianists who normally don't teach

[m1469]

but who took on one or a few students in their career? 

I'm just curious about names and stories.  I know Horowitz generally didn't teach, but he did take on at least one if not a couple of students at points during his career.  I don't recall what became of those students, exactly.  Who else?

[j_menz]

Cziffra and Richter?

[ahinton]

Cherkassky didn't (famously saying that the reason for this was that he was still figuring out how to do it himself - and this was when he was already in his 80s); Hamelin doesn't.

Best,

Alistair

[m1469]

Ok, BUT, they don't *normally* teach but for whatever reason were convinced to take on one or a few students at points.  I wonder that.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Ok, BUT, they don't *normally* teach but for whatever reason were convinced to take on one or a few students at points.  I wonder that.

Maybe because they see potential in the students?

Or they're getting paid a lot of money.

Or those kids wouldn't leave them alone.

Day 1 after concert

Kid:  hey can you teach me?

Cziffra:  no

Day 2 at Cziffra's house

Kid:  hey can you teach me?  I bought some flowers?

Cziffra:  where the hell did you find out where I live?!  Go home! 

*slams door*

Day 3 at a hotel many many miles away over a large body of water

Kid:  can you teach me?  I bought some chocolates!

Cziffra:  ...

*slams door

Day 4 on his private jet

Cziffra thinking:  that stupid brat won't find me now!

*kid walks out of cockpit*

Kid:  can you teach me now?

Cziffra: WHAT THE FREAKING HECK?!??

Kid:  is that a yes?

Cziffra: NO!!!!!!!!

Kid:  I hope you know I'm holding you hostage right?

*Cziffra takes notice of his pilot uniform*

Cziffra:  Wait a second... who's piloting the plane?!?!  Oh never mind.  Thank god there's another pilot.

Kid:  I currently have him sedatd under an elephant tranquilizer.  He'll be a sleep until this plane crashes.

*plane spins in a 600 MPH uncontrolled vertical dive*

Cziffra:  hurry up and pilot the plane you idiot!

Kid:  then make me your student!!!

Cziffra:  NEVER!!!

Kid:  fine!  Then I'll just hit this self destruct button.

Cziffra:  okay okay okay I'll teach you!  Just hurry up and fly this damn plane!

Kid:  really?

Cziffra:  Yes really!  Now hurry up and fly or else I'm gonna change my mind! 

Kid:  mission accomplished...

[asuhayda]

Didn't Horowitz have just a single student?  I remember that he used to follow Horowitz around all over the country to watch him perform.

[pianist1976]

Horowitz's most famous pupils were Murray Perahia and Byron Janis.

Arrau used to teach a lot before his fourties in Germany (or Switzerland, I can't remember, all the information is inside Conversations with Arrau). But up then he only taught occasionally. He, for exampled, gave a few classes to Garrick Ohlsson, and some advices to Barenboim.

Cortot had a lot of pupils, maybe the most famous was Dinu Lipatti. He also gave some advices to Horowitz (whoa, what a combination). But I can't know if he gave full classes or only master classes.

One of the few pupils Gulda had was Martha Argerich.

Benedetti Michelangeli taught very seldom on his lifetime. He gave, for example, some advices to Pollini (after Chopin Competition, when Pollini's career had stuck for a few years).

Richter never taught.

Zimerman teaches occasionally in Basilea (Switzerland), where he only teaches up to three pupils a year (or that's what I heard). BTW, he refused to teach Yundi Li. He argued that Yundi was already a completely accomplished pianist.

Cziffra taught Achilles Delle Vigne.

Hofmann taught Cherkassky, his only famous pupil.

Etc, etc...

[sclive]

...and Anton Rubinstein only taught Josef Hoffman (or very few students).

[pianist1976]

...and Anton Rubinstein only taught Josef Hoffman (or very few students).

Not exactly. Rubinstein had lots of pupils at St Petersburg Conservatory (including Horowitz's teacher and Neuhaus's uncle Felix Blumenfeld), but Hofmann was his only private student.