Your favorite pianist

[frederic]

Who is your favorite pianist?
I like Richter and Kissin.

Kissin is quite strange.When talking, he would pause all the time and doesn't make much sense. For example in "the art of piano"

"His (refering to Richter) virtuosity was transcendental.......nevertheless....... (pauses for like ten seconds)...... it was never virtuosity for the sake..........of....virtuosity"

[amee]

I like Ashkenazy and Schnabel.

[amp]

Maurizio Pollini

[e60m5]

My fave pianist of the twentieth century (as much as I'd like to, I can't pretend I've heard Liszt play...   ) would absolutely have to be Emil Gilels.

Damn, what that guy could do with a piano... just simply stunning.

[SteveK]

Georges Cziffra
Vladimir Horowitz
Blanca Uribe (my teacher)

[Colette]

Rachmaninoff
Horowitz
Ashkenazy
Richter
(not necessarily in that order).

[titos]

  Someone said that if 19th century was the century of composers, the 20th was the century of performers! And I think he is absolutely right. Who could not admire deeply names as Rubinstein, Richter, Horowitz, Gilels, Michelangeli, Pollini, Zimermann etc etc...
  However, if I had to pick up just one, that would be Claudio Arrau definitely. His playing was always so deep in meaning and his sound had a unique quality (and quantity sometimes!). Although he has been criticized as a conservative musician, I think this is outrageous! One has to listen to his recordings of Liszt Sonata, Brahms D minor Concerto, Beethoven late sonatas or Balakirev Islamey to realize what pure pianistic wisdom is!
  Living in the time of "competitions-winning-playing", Arrau's musical world has to be even more admired...

[Aurelio]

EMIL GILELS is the best one.
He always had seemed to me the perfect combination of power, style and musicality

Emil Gilels fue el puto amo de los pianistas, viva la escuela rusa!!!!!

[glamfolk]

Kissin, Arrau, and Ivan Moravec

[Bosendorfer_214]

Have any of you ever heard of Richard Goode?  He plays the best Beethoven I have ever heard.  He has recorded all of the Beethoven Sonatas.  The whole album is about $100.  
And we can't forget Olga Kern.  She is incredible.

[Chiyo]

I like Chopin interpretations of Pollini and Rubinstein.

[Franz_Liszt]

Franz Liszt by Far.

[sasson]

Ivan Moravec all the way...especially for his Chopin Nocturnes.

[frederic]

Franz_Liszt, why do you say Liszt when you haven't heard him play?

[Hmoll]

Mitsuko Uchida
Alexis Weissenberg
Gilels
Perahia
Goode

...and a few others.

Kissin is not my favorite, but his quote at the beginning of the thread made perfect sense when I saw him say it originally, and it still makes sense. He is saying that Richter's virtuosity is transcendental - ie out of this world, or however he is defining transcendental - but his virtuosity was not an end in itself, but was a means to express what he wanted to musically. Also, a lot of people who are not native English speakers speak this language in a halting fashion, especially when they are trying to express a difficult idea. Try saying what he said in Russian, and you might know what I mean.

[PoSeiDoN]

Alfred Brendel is my favorite, by far.  His combination of intellectualism and technique makes for fabulous interpretation of the music.  Not only does he study the piece itself, but he studies the piece's history, and where it falls within the life of its composer.  Thorough study is done, and one feels as though Brendel is playing a piece precisely how the composer himself would want it.  Plus, he has a very odd sense of humor that I can relate to.  

I also like Andras Schiff for Bach.  Lang Lang's the man on Rachmaninoff and Scriabin.  Ashkenazy and Horowitz are good with Chopin.  The list goes on and on, but Brendel's the best.

[NetherMagic]

Yundi Li's Chopin, he's just insane.
(newest International Chopin Contest winner)

[Pianofan]

Martha Argerich is my best because she can play all music style quite great ! She is impressive and she is emotionnal too. She is a true virtuoso... A legend.

[eddie92099]

Martha Argerich is phenomenal. The best by far, although John Ogdon and Shura Cherkassky were very special. And Art Tatum (Rachmaninov's favourite!)
Ed

[Ovidiu Parjol]

        I am mad about Dinu Lipatti. When he plays a work, he just makes me feel that it is the best way of playing that work. He gets music into some kind of transcendental way of living, where everything has a reason, a known reason, even ancestral reason; it's like you already know something, but he just reminds you, reminds you of a home you had long ago...That's it ! I feel like home when listening to Lipatti. There is no other pianist who can make me feel so convinced that this is the Truth...
        I know that what is written here is extremely subjective, but I thing everyone should try to listen carefully to Lipatti's recordings (at EMI label; he died at 33 years, so there are only 5 CDs with his playing...).
        I don't have this opinion because I live in Romania (my name is romanian, but I am hungarian more than half). Just listen to Lipatti and maybe, if he doesn't become one of your favorites, at least you will understand what I am talking about.

[Noah]

Martha Argerich above everyone, Horowitz, Clifford Curzon, Richter, Christian Zacharias (for his Mozart and Schubert interpretations), Pollini, Michelangeli, and Gould for Bach

[dj]

rachmaninoff blows me away!!!

[la_carrenio2003]

Rachmaninoff

[redberry]

About the Kissin comments-That is comic...He probably is very thoughtful person...

[thracozaag]

[And we can't forget Olga Kern.  She is incredible.[/quote]

 *chuckle*

[jnlje]

Pollini, Argerich,Van Cliburn

[thracozaag]

Pollini, Argerich,Van Cliburn

no comment.

[jakester]

I hate everyone.