Performances that Convinced you a Pianist is Great

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We all have favorites, but probably we also all have some "big names" that we don't really like.  But I'm more interested in pianists who you didn't like for a long time, but then found a recording(s) that won you over.  For me, the Richter Miroirs (the 1965 Prague one) and Kissin's Pictures at an Exhibition come to mind, I used to think both were very dry.  Ok, Richter is still pretty dry usually, but it showed me the genius everyone always talks about.  His Shosty p&f performances are also unparalleled in some of them.

Feel free to also list people who you don't like but are open to reevaluating.  For example, I've never been impressed with Yuja (beyond her awesome technique), but I remember hearing more recent stuff that was much more colorful and mature, sound-wise.  If someone knows some interesting recent interps of hers I'd check them out.

[lelle]

Ohhh that's a tricky question. I generally don't consider pianists great if most of their playing feels "eeeeh" and then there's one recording that is good Pianists I think are great generally have many recordings I like and few I don't like.

Richter is a bit of a special case because he has many recordings I love a great deal, but he also has many recordings that are not to my taste (generally feeling too fast and mechanical).

[anacrusis]

Khatia Buniatishvili's playing is not always my cup of tea, but there are many things to like in this interpretation:

Beautifully orchestrated, emotional, just great.

[lostinidlewonder]

"At the age of 26, while on tour in Venice, he read in the papers about a flood disaster back in his native Hungary. He hightailed it to Vienna to give concerts in aid of the victims. They were a huge success, raising so much money that his was the biggest private donation to the relief fund."

The greatest pianist ever!!! No need to even mention the name.

[jacobson747]

"At the age of 26, while on tour in Venice, he read in the papers about a flood disaster back in his native Hungary. He hightailed it to Vienna to give concerts in aid of the victims. They were a huge success, raising so much money that his was the biggest private donation to the relief fund."

The greatest pianist ever!!! No need to even mention the name.

Franz Liszt?  Liszt's charitable performances convinced you that he is a great philanthropist and therefore a great pianist?  Interesting!

For me, I heard a recording of the Beethoven Diabelli variations and Bach Goldberg variations by a pianist I knew to be famous but never heard play.  His name - Igor Levit.  I knew from these 2 recordings that he is in fact a great pianist - one of the greatest living today.  In some ways, maybe the greatest living. His recording of the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven only further confirmed this for me.  My only wish - Slow down a little a small number of movements of the 32 sonata set.  That's it. 

[lostinidlewonder]

I mean, it's only a small part of it all but this kind of selflessness is something you don't see much of in super stars. Perhaps the fact that royalty would change official plans to go listen to him play? I have no idea which royal member would change anything to listen to a pianist these days Greatness can be measured in many ways I guess.

[ivorycherry]

Pogorelich Playing Chopin scherzo 3 really really impressed me(I’m not one to judge who’s great or not).

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Anyone here convinced that Trifonov is some sort of genius? I've yet to be impressed by . . . anything of theirs tbh.  What's their best?

[anacrusis]

Trifonov is not my cup of tea as a musician. I'm also surprised that Richter recording won you over on Miroirs, his Noctuelles is rather fast and... brusque? Which is not the right character for some night moths to me

[fftransform]

Trifonov is not my cup of tea as a musician. I'm also surprised that Richter recording won you over on Miroirs, his Noctuelles is rather fast and... brusque? Which is not the right character for some night moths to me

I'm not a big fan of that choice either - though the technical execution of the concept is still awesome.  Did you listen to the Alborada from that recital?  It starts at 14:00, the timestamps are messed up on that upload.