Top 5 20th century pianist

[wes_56]

List your top 5 20th century pianist. They may be alive or may have passed away.

[etudes]

ooh come on man!
only 5 ?? no order
Horowitz
Rachmaninoff
Rubinstein
Cziffra
Martha Argerich
and more and more 5 is too less.......

[aquariuswb]

Pollini
Gieseking
Casadesus
Gilels
Ashkenazy

Give me 5 more, I'd have:

Horowitz
Michelangeli
Rachmaninoff
Kempff
Argerich

Not necessarily "the greatest" -- just my favorites. Solomon got cut short 

[theodopolis]

Richter
Arrau
Cziffra
Argerich
Horowitz


(If they're still alive, couldn't one categorise them as a 21st century pianist too?)

[willfarnaby]

Here's my Top Ten:

Glenn Gould
Vladimir Horowitz
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sviatoslav Richter
Murray Perahia
Ivan Moravec
Angela Hewitt
Aurthur Rubinstein
Vladimir Ashkenazy

[etudes]

Here's my Top Ten:

Glenn Gould
Vladimir Horowitz
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sviatoslav Richter
Murray Perahia
Ivan Moravec
Angela Hewitt
Aurthur Rubinstein
Vladimir Ashkenazy

well i think he needs only 5

[steinwayguy]

Pick any five of the following, must include Richter and Arrau, however:
Richter
Gilels
Kempff
Arrau
Schnabel
Goode
Rubinstein
R. Serkin
Brendel
Horowitz (reluctantly)
Rachmaninoff
Hofmann

Currently: Richter, Arrau, Gilels, Rubinstein and Kempff

[presto agitato]

1 - Scriabin
2- Horowitz
3- Brendel
4- Perahia
5- Ashkenazy

Speical Mention: Marc Hamelin

[Waldszenen]

Top Five it is


1. Horowitz

2. Richter

3. Rachmaninoff

4. Cortot

5. Rubinstein

[shasta]

Arrau
de Larrocha
Argerich
Ashkenazy
Tie: Moravec and Roge

[sznitzeln]

Richter
Michelangeli
Gulda
Gilels
Pollini

Actually it depends if you judge by their best performance or avarage, and if you take coolness into account 

Gulda is pretty  ...
Goulds top performance is really great

[ted]

Taking the words "top pianist" to mean someone who, in addition to having been a first rate executant, has permanently influenced the nature of piano music, I would probably suggest Morton, Waller, Gershwin and Jarrett, which choices may at first seem strange. However, each of these players discovered an essentially new and vital way of playing the piano and has had lasting and profound effect on later piano music.

[pbr2005]

I'll put this list against anybody's:

Sergio Fiorentino
Vladimir Horowitz
Lazar Berman
Artur Rubinstein
Sergei Rachmaninoff

[pseudopianist]

Cziffra
Marc André Hamelin
Horowitz
Martha Argerich
Rachmaninov or maybe Richter

[stormx]

In no particular order...

Pletnev
Arrau
Kempff
Richter
Gulda

I do not include some older virtuosos (i have listened to Schnabel, Michelangeli, Horowitz), because i have a hard time dealing with the poor sound quality.

Of course, keep in mind that i have been listening to piano classical music from less than a year ago, so i did not listen yet to many pianists often mentionned here.

 

[pianowelsh]

I believe there are currently too many great pianists around and have advocated in the european parliament for several years now that there should be a system of culling every 4 years to make room for 'new talent' and to save the wear and tear on pianos at top european venues! They still havent adopted the policy   If any of you can think why id like to hear from you

[JP]

Cziffra
Richter
Bolet
Cortot
Rachmaninov

In no particular order..

[rob47]

I only need one. and it's Cziffra.

but 4 more just because...
Gilels, myself, Horowitz and for some reason Bolet.

Rob

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

All of your lists are missing Leopold Godowsky. And might as well throw in Ferruccio Busoni while you're at it.

[josh h]

All of your lists are missing Leopold Godowsky. And might as well throw in Ferruccio Busoni while you're at it.

And Art Tatum.  And only one mention of Jorge Bolet (I'll probably hear some flak for including him, but it's okay).

Tatum and Rachmaninoff are my personal co-#1s, considering both technique and musicianship.

[emilye]

E. Gilels
G. Gould
S. Richter
A. de Larrocha
M. Argerich

M. Yudina
M. Pollini
A. Rubinstein

[ahinton]

I see that no one has yet mentioned *o** O**o*...

Best,

Alistair

[keyboardclass]

It's a silly question to begin with but Angie?

[berman]

Gilels
Barenboim
Pogorelich
Aschkenazy
Richter

[redbaron]

Martha Argerich
Sergei Rachmaninov
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Murray Perahia
Marc-Andre Hamelin

[thalbergmad]

Mrs Mills

[pianist1976]

Clayderman
Liberace
Nixon

[keyboardclass]

Mrs Mills

Yes!

[camstrings]

Leszo Dawsonowitz

[soeial]

Richter
Michelangeli
Gulda
Gilels
Yudina
 

[john11inc]

Jarrett

Banned.

[djealnla]

I see that no one has yet mentioned *o** O**o*...

Best,

Alistair

He's good, but not enough. 

Anyway...

Gould
Zimerman
Hamelin
Horowitz
Sofronitsky

[angierc]

my top 5 favorites:
-Argerich >> she'll be the only lady in my nomination, even if you need more than 5
-Rachmaninoff
-Rubinstein
-Horowitz
-Cortot

there are much much more more than this... 

[ahinton]

He's good, but not enough. 

...your reasons for stating which are...?...

Best,

Alistair

[ruafo]

10. Alfred Brendel
9. Alfred Cortot
8. Martha Argerich
7. Claudio Arrau
6. Krystian Zimerman
5. Arthur Rubienstein
4. Arturo Michelangeli
3. Andras Schiff
2. Sviatoslav Ricter
1. Vladimir Horowitz

[john11inc]

Lazar Berman
Jorge Bolet
David Burge
Annie Fischer


I don't need a 5th choice.

[richterfan1]

Top Five it is


1. Horowitz

2. Richter

3. Rachmaninoff

4. Cortot

5. Rubinstein

agree

[becky8898]

If this question is referring to a pianist as simply someone who has great technique and does a nice job of interperting other peoples compositions  then it seems to me that one opinion is as good as another. But if your including things such as composing, teaching, and stage presense as part of being a great pianist then as far as I see it no one even can come close to Rachmaninoff.

He is so far above anyone else in the 20th century he probably needs his own special category. As to the rest of the list , which is after all just my opinion. 

1. rachmaninoff

2. Horowitz

3. Agerich

4. Zimmerman

5. valentina lisitsa ( I think im a little biased on this one for personal reasons )


Thats it . hope all of you can continue your climb in your studies and maybe with some fortune narrow the gap between your playing and these giants of the Piano.

Cheers, Becky

[djealnla]

...your reasons for stating which are...?...

Best,

Alistair

Nah, I was just joking. What I have heard so far by him has left a very good impression on me. I recently bought his recording of Busoni's Piano Concerto and it's nothing short of spectacular. I particularly enjoyed how he used different dynamic shades in the piano's first entry; it was much more exciting than Hamelin's approach, for instance. The only shame about the recording is that the piano sometimes gets drowned out, but that's EMI's fault, not Ogdon's.

[ahinton]

Nah, I was just joking. What I have heard so far by him has left a very good impression on me. I recently bought his recording of Busoni's Piano Concerto and it's nothing short of spectacular. I particularly enjoyed how he used different dynamic shades in the piano's first entry; it was much more exciting than Hamelin's approach, for instance. The only shame about the recording is that the piano sometimes gets drowned out, but that's EMI's fault, not Ogdon's.

Indeed it is - and the orchestral playing on Hamelin's (and some others) is well superior to that on the Ogdon recording; Hamelin's recorded account also benefits from the insights of conductor Mark Elder, an immensely intelligent musician who had conducted Donohoe in that work years before (just as Fabio Luisi had conducted Hamelin in it before he conducted Grante, in live performances in each case).

Best,

Alistair

[musichristina]

Vladimir Horowitz
Radu Lupu
Arthur Rubinstein
Daniel Barenboim
Martha Argerich

Oh gosh. This took me 20 minutes to choose only 5! If I could add a few more to the list, I think they would be Richter, Gould, Van Cliburn, and Watts.

[ch101]

Give me five...
Vladimir Horowitz
Martha Argerich
Arthur Rubinstein
Krystian Zimerman
Andras Schiff

Give me another five...
Maurizio Pollini
Valentina Lisitsa
Evgeny Kissin
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Sviatoslav Ricter


specail mentions: hamelin, van cliburn, gould

[ch101]

come on,

[overfjell]

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sviatoslav Richter
Boris Berezovsky (I know he's more 21st Century, but he was in the 20th, too)
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Vladimir Horowitz

If I had another five:
Claudio Arrau
Artur Rubinstein
Wilhelm Kempff
Martha Argerich
Andras Schiff

[mozartk365]

Horowitz, Cortot, Cziffra, Richter, Gilels

[sevencircles]

1. Horowitz

2. Hofmann (I have heard  stories about how great he was in his prime and I tend to believe them,  some of his recordings are brilliant for sure)

3. Richter

4. Rachmaninov (A lot of the recordings are great but his greatness isn´t really captured on any tape according to many people that heard him play live )

5. Ogdon (I thought about having Gould in the fifth place instead but Ogdon had a talent in his prime that was incredible maybe he was he greatest when it comes to pure natural talent)

[krajcher]

Every pianist that all of you mentioned are great. But I am surprised that Grigory Sokolov haven't appeared on any list yet.

From my point of view he is one of the most underrated pianists of 20th century. To be honest he is my favourite.

[philb]

Bolet
Cortot
Arrau
Richter
Hoffman

and the list goes on...

[zezhyrule]

Arrau
Zimerman
Rubinstein
Michelangeli
Horowitz

No order given.

[fftransform]

Like many others, I'm not sure that I can put together only 5.  I like some pianists for certain repertoire, other pianists for other pieces.  Candidates would be (alphabetical order):

Lazar Berman
Jorge Bolet
David Burge
Anton Dikov
Philippe Entremont
Sergio Fiorentino
Annie Fischer
Gary Graffman
Byron Janis
William Kapell
Cyprien Katsaris
Ruth Laredo
Yvonne Lefebure
Louis Lortie
Ekaterina Novitskaya
Gyorgy Sandor
Rudolf Serkin
Vladimir Sofronitsky
David Tudor
Igor Zhukov