EDIT: I changed the title from "popular" to "omnipotent - if Horowitz was alive, he would be the answer.I was doing some Google Trends which is more like the rate of popularity.Lang Lang was head and shoulders above everyone elseMartha Argerich was a very strong 2nd.Horowitz was lower.All the above were decreasingValentina Lisitsa peaked and is slowly decreasingThe only 2 increasers I found were Yuja Wang and Khatia BuniatishviliWhen Horowitz was alive, he was the Supreme, the Icon.As far as still living, I think Martha is the Grand Master but Yuja may be the next top biller.I also think that there may be waning interest in classical piano unfortunately.
How old are you?
I see you put still living but You did mention Horowitz sooo
"Omnipotent"? What a strange notion in terms of pianists! - albeit arguably not quite so strange as that of Martha Argerich being second to Lang Lang in anything...Best,Alistair
Yeol Eum Son is a DOA flat line on Google Trends regarding internet searches. If you want to see the curves, go to https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0g04z9,%2Fm%2F0127gn,%2Fm%2F0f19vp,Yeol Eum Son,%2Fm%2F0ds41
The Google Trend is the only metric out there. Personal Opinion, Polls and Lists are all biased. I assure you, if there is a new up-and-coming Titan out there, it will show up on Google Trends.And yes, Trend is the Rate of Searching which has nothing to do with the intergral of total searches. Even Horowitz to this day outsearches most of the others.And then LL is the top curve and I don't even know if he is a serious musician - I think he is a show businessman making every attempt to promote himself outside of the staid classical circles. And yes, he is very successful at that. (Actually Yuja is playing that card, but it's strictly wardrobe which he keeps independent of her craft - she gets a Well Played.)
I'm 64 years old. EDIT: Thinking about this, why would it have any bearing on this question since I said living? _______________________But LL is definitely not a "god." H was God.
It's Richard Clayderman if we going in terms of financial success hehe