Guardian 'The Artists' Artist' - Pianists

[VodkaDilc]

I thought the Guardian choices were mostly as I would have expected.
My own choices would be:
Pianists I never saw in a live performance: Horowitz
Pianists I have seen: Radu Lupu

[Alf-Prufrock]

Does no-one here rate Martha Argerich then? Or is she just the latest
'Gramophone' wonder ?

[amateur51]

... among the oldies, for me - Cortot, Schnabel, Rubinstein, Marcelle Meyer, Yves Nat, Ciani, Michelangeli, Richter.

From the more recent, the ones I find extra-special wd include Zacharias, Zimerman, Hamelin, Staier, Tharaud, Levin.

Blimey vinteuil, a fellow Yves Nat-fan, how nice

I've not heard any Dino Ciani but recall there was a fair bit of Beethoven released not so long ago. Any recommended recordings?

[amateur51]

Does no-one here rate Martha Argerich then? Or is she just the latest
'Gramophone' wonder ?

That's the problem with lists, Alf.

I rate Martha Argerich very highly and if you can catch her 'live', usually in a very restricted repertoire, she's the real deal

[french frank]

For anyone in the Bristol area who rates Hough-y - St George's are offering (not online) £10 'best available seats' for Friday's recital: Beethoven Op 27/2, Janáček Sonata 1.X.1905, Scriabin Sonatas 4 & 5, Liszt Sonata in B minor.

[zola]

BBC Music mag did the same exercise last year but asked 100 current pianists and asked them for three recommendations. Top in their survey was Rachmaninov followed by Rubinstein, Horowitz, Richter, Cortot, Lopatti, Schnabel, Gilels, Argerich and Michelangeli.

[aeolium]

For me from the 'archive' pianists: Lipatti, Solomon and Curzon; more recently, Gulda, Pollini and Lupu.

[vinteuil]

I've not heard any Dino Ciani but recall there was a fair bit of Beethoven released not so long ago. Any recommended recordings?

hi hammerchewer!
there's a good Dino Ciani box of 3 CDs on Brilliant (cheapo!) - which gives you the Debussy Preludes and the Schumann Novelettes op 21 - much recommended

[amateur51]

hi hammerchewer!
there's a good Dino Ciani box of 3 CDs on Brilliant (cheapo!) - which gives you the Debussy Preludes and the Schumann Novelettes op 21 - much recommended

Thanking you, vinteuil - sounds a bargain!

I must look around for this Beethoven that I thought I'd read about

[Alf-Prufrock]

I rate Martha Argerich very highly and if you can catch her 'live', usually in a very restricted repertoire, she's the real deal

So do I and so she is, amateur. I was wondering why she had not turned up in so many postings, especially when the talk turned to current pianists.

[Alf-Prufrock]

The Guardian asked the following to name their favourite pianist of all time and explain their choice. Leaving the v interesting explanations aside, the selections were:
Stephen Hough > Alfred Cortot
Leif Ove Andsnes > Dinu Lipatti
Angela Hewitt > Alfred Cortot
Vladimir Ashkenazy > Rachmaninov
Freddy Kempf > Vladimir Horowitz
Pierre-Laurent Aimard > Aloys Kontarsky
Jean-Yves Thibaudet > Arthur Rubinstein

Ashkenazy also mentioned Gilels, Serkin and Michelangeli

In BBC Music Magazine of August 2010 they (except Aimard, not present) chose the same pianists, but Ashkenazy had Richter ahead of Rachmaninov and Kempf had Wilhelm Kempff ahead of Horowitz.

I might as well say that Aimard's choice of Kontarsky illuminates for me the reason why I have never warmed to his playing. I think of Kontarsky (possibly unjustly) as a mechanicus. Perhaps I ought to root out some of his recordings and see if my mind will change. That he can be admired enough to be placed ahead of any other pianist as a favourite is some backing, after all.

[Pianorak]

So do I and so she is, amateur. I was wondering why she [Martha Argerich] had not turned up in so many postings, especially when the talk turned to current pianists.

I too admire her greatly - but perhaps we take her too much for granted? Dunno.
I'd also like to flag up Grigory Sokolov, another favourite of mine.

[Barbirollians]

Lipatti above all

Argerich
Solomon
Perahia
Gilels
Leon Fleischer
Richter
Kempff
Kovacevich
Brendel
Barenboim

[umslopogaas]

With the caveat that I cant play a note on the piano and am completely unqualified to rate one pianist against another, I'd nominate:

Gould, for his Bach above all else.

Brendel for almost anything, but especially his late Schubert. I got to know the D960 sonata from his 1971 Philips recording and couldnt get it out of head for weeks.

Michelangeli for Chopin's Prelude, Ballade and Scherzo on DG.

Gilels for the Brahms concertos.

These are all musicians whose recordings that have made a particular impression on me. Its very personal, but somehow they seem to have an ability to reveal the music that can be quite startling.