Most underrated pianists

[virtuoso_pianist]

Hello there,

I wanted to start this post since I was wondering how many underrated pianists there are?

I reckon Yakov Flier was one of the most underrated pianists IMO. His recordings were the pinnacle of the Russian piano school, and he actually beat Gilels in a competition during his youth. I thought this topic might be an interesting one to see people's opinions

[lelle]

I have a hard time gauging how well known the pianists I like are. I feel like not enough people know about Annie Fischer, but is she underrated?

[ranjit]

I have a hard time gauging how well known the pianists I like are. I feel like not enough people know about Annie Fischer, but is she underrated?

I personally think it's rare that someone with incredible talent (with interesting interpretations etc.) goes completely unnoticed. I don't really think there are unknown Horowitzes lurking around. However I definitely think that some pianists don't get as much exposure as they ought to, but if you dig deep enough, you'll usually find them, and they will have a niche following.

[lelle]

I personally think it's rare that someone with incredible talent (with interesting interpretations etc.) goes completely unnoticed. I don't really think there are unknown Horowitzes lurking around. However I definitely think that some pianists don't get as much exposure as they ought to, but if you dig deep enough, you'll usually find them, and they will have a niche following.

Totally agree, well said.

[visitor]

Probably not totally underated in their time or in some circles but off top of my head two that it almost criminal many have not heard of them
David Saperton "...known especially for being the first pianist to play the entire original compositions as well as the complete transcriptions of his father-in-law, Leopold Godowsky. He also recorded a number of Godowsky’s Studies on Chopin's Études as well as other pieces. His students at the Curtis Institute and later include Jorge Bolet, Shura Cherkassky, Sidney Foster, Julius Katchen, John Simms, Abbey Simon, Eleanor Sokoloff, Dorothy Wanderman, and Frances Ziffer. As a pianist he is regarded as a great dramatist, a sensitive poet and superb colorist...."

Alberto Jonas -"....as a pianist he was regarded as a virtuoso on the level of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Moriz Rosenthal, Leopold Godowsky, Józef Hofmann, and Josef Lhévinne...."

[visitor]

Francisco Mignone (actually his wife too) , but Frank isore renowned for his composing but he was an much like other greats a pianist first , a dang good.one which helped his piano composing and why so much of his output has that virtuousic flair, sort of a on  bit smaller scale a sort of Brazilian Liszt

His miniatures and smaller dance pieces are a pure delight , his wife playing them usually sets benchmark but here is a rare recording of him playing his own (sorta like those videos we have of Kapustin doing his own pieces etc )

[lelle]

Francisco Mignone (actually his wife too) , but Frank isore renowned for his composing but he was an much like other greats a pianist first , a dang good.one which helped his piano composing and why so much of his output has that virtuousic flair, sort of a on  bit smaller scale a sort of Brazilian Liszt

His miniatures and smaller dance pieces are a pure delight , his wife playing them usually sets benchmark but here is a rare recording of him playing his own (sorta like those videos we have of Kapustin doing his own pieces etc )

Interesting recording. He is really not afraid of rubato, that man.

[rubens99]

Nojima
Fiorentino
Meyer
Current generation: Bozhanov

All of them deserve more exposure than they receive(d).

[anacrusis]

Nojima
Fiorentino
Meyer
Current generation: Bozhanov

All of them deserve more exposure than they receive(d).

Never heard of any of them. Can you post some good recordings?

[rubens99]

Never heard of any of them. Can you post some good recordings?

[rubens99]

Also listen to this pianist, Brian Ganz, aka Brian who??, playing one of the best versions of the Polonaise-fantaisie I've heard:

[timtim]

While I agree that there are rather no unnoticed new Horowitz's, there are (and always were) many good pianists, who have not done major career because career life wasn't for them (so travelling, being out of home and so on), others couldn't handle stress and expectations of 3000 people listening to them.

Yes, Bozhanov was a kind of a star in 2015 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and indeed he should be much more known and getting bigger attention. There are too many mediocre - or rather the same - pianists in major recording companies recording always the same repertoire in the same style.

One of the best Chopin Ballades are by ARTHUR SCHOONDERWOERD. It's on historical piano, so style if different ;-)

I like to listen to Boris Giltburg, I do not know whether he is known enough or not, he is privately extremely shy person (I met him after him performing phenomenal Rach3). There are qualities which "lesser known" pianists can often bring - maybe they are not as perfect, but they present unique (yet still good and in style) performances and not obvious repertoire.

It would be easier for me to create list of overrated pianists - first would be MA Hamelin, second Benjamin Grosvenor, the latter whom I apprised a lot when he was young but the more recording he made the more I disliked his playing.

[chopinlisztfan 6869]

Alexander Scriabin
Gerald Finzi
Clara Schumann

[lelle]

Alexander Scriabin
Gerald Finzi
Clara Schumann

Unfortunately we have no recorded accounts of Scriabin or Clara Schumann (I haven't heard of the third pianist) so we can't actually tell if they are underrated or not. Wasn't Clara quite celebrated in her time?

[mrcreosote]

There's a difference between underrated and unknown.  I believe Liberace was underrated. 
My pic is not underrated but unknown.

I'm going with György Cziffra because I'm 69. played classical since 6, and if it wasn't for the internet, I would have never known of him.  I found him in 2007 and was dumbfounded - especially having played some Liszt,  I immediately told every single person I knew and they too had never heard of him and were stunned by his Liszt.  That is just plain sad. 

[mrcreosote]

Ingmar Lazar

[nightwindsonata]

Unfortunately we have no recorded accounts of Scriabin or Clara Schumann (I haven't heard of the third pianist) so we can't actually tell if they are underrated or not. Wasn't Clara quite celebrated in her time?

[lelle]

Ah yes I'm familiar with that one. Unfortunately it's a piano roll and not an actual recording. Piano rolls give us some idea but they can be uneven and tend to not be fully representative of the pianist, unfortunately.

[fftransform]

As far as active people who deserve to be at the pinnacle: