50 Greatest Pianists

**Bryn** · 04-11-12, 11:39

The most glaring omission, as far as I am concerned, is David Tudor, but I doubt Donohoe is that familiar with the territory he trod. I would drop Benjamin Britten from the list to make room for Tudor.

**Tony Halstead** · 04-11-12, 11:40

Vladimir Horowitz?
Earl Wild?

**amateur51** · 04-11-12, 11:45

When the Radio 3 breakfast series was being broadcast, poor Peter Donohoe's list was entitled '50 Great Pianists' and it was made clear that this was a personal list.

Has the title now been changed to 'Greatest'?

**teamsaint** · 04-11-12, 11:48

When do we start voting people off.....??

**Old Grumpy** · 04-11-12, 11:50

Originally posted by amateur51 View Post

When the Radio 3 breakfast series was being broadcast, poor Peter Donohoe's list was entitled '50 Great Pianists' and it was made clear that this was a personal list.

Has the title now been changed to 'Greatest'?

Apparently not:

Peter Donohoe's Fifty Great Pianists

The much loved international concert pianist, Peter Donohoe, has had the advantage of observing piano playing at first hand from all corners of the world. On Radio 3’s Breakfast show throughout the Piano Season on the BBC, he presents his choice of Fifty Great Pianists from past and present.

(from the Breakfast webpage)

OG

**Eine Alpensinfonie** · 04-11-12, 11:51

Wasn't Franz Liszt supposed to be rather good too?

**amateur51** · 04-11-12, 11:52

Originally posted by Old Grumpy View Post

Apparently not:

(from the Breakfast webpage)

OG

Cheers Old Grumpy

**salymap** · 04-11-12, 11:55

Benno Moiseiwitsch ?

Arthur Schnabel ?

**rauschwerk** · 04-11-12, 12:26

This list interests me in that it might encourage me to seek out the work of pianists I have never heard. I heard Rach 1 played by Sequeira Costa (didn't know who was playing until the back announcement) and was very little impressed. However, I would like to try recordings by Brailowsky, Dodjashvili, Kuerti, Montero, Melnikov and Lititsa.

As far as I am concerned, Benjamin Britten deserves his place as one of the very greatest accompanists ever.

**Nick Armstrong** · 04-11-12, 12:37

Originally posted by amateur51 View Post

When the Radio 3 breakfast series was being broadcast, poor Peter Donohoe's list was entitled '50 Great Pianists' and it was made clear that this was a personal list.

Has the title now been changed to 'Greatest'?

Yes - in the title of the thread. Not that the present game isn't interesting, but it rather changes the game from the one Donohoe was actually asked to play by the BBC, to be fair to him. As it says on his website:

"Choosing the pianists has been very rewarding, Peter's only regret is that he is limited to only fifty! The title of the series is "Fifty Great Pianists" - not "Fifty Greatest Pianists". I.E. This collection does not represent Peter's complete list of favourite pianists; there are many more whom he would like to have included. Neither does it represent an order of preference in any way at all. These artists - some internationally famous and some less well-known - are simply great pianists in many different ways..."

Originally posted by Bryn View Post

David Tudor

A new name to me. Care to sketch in why you rate him so highly, with some suggestions as to how best one might follow-up?

**EdgeleyRob** · 04-11-12, 12:52

Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post

Wasn't Franz Liszt supposed to be rather good too?

Chales Valentin Alkan could play a bit too I believe.

Geoffrey Tozer.
Piers Lane.
Kathryn Stott.

**Bryn** · 04-11-12, 13:07

Originally posted by Caliban View Post

Yes - in the title of the thread. Not that the present game isn't interesting, but it rather changes the game from the one Donohoe was actually asked to play by the BBC, to be fair to him. As it says on his website:

"Choosing the pianists has been very rewarding, Peter's only regret is that he is limited to only fifty! The title of the series is "Fifty Great Pianists" - not "Fifty Greatest Pianists". I.E. This collection does not represent Peter's complete list of favourite pianists; there are many more whom he would like to have included. Neither does it represent an order of preference in any way at all. These artists - some internationally famous and some less well-known - are simply great pianists in many different ways..."

A new name to me. Care to sketch in why you rate him so highly, with some suggestions as to how best one might follow-up?

Obituary: David Tudor

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-david-tudor-1363239.html

It will be hard for anyone who is used to watching the Merce Cunningham Dance Company to imagine it without the musician David Tudor. Though he had a career before and apart from the formation of the Cunningham company, he was not only, in 1953, one of the founding fathers of this, one of the most absorbingly radical artistic endeavours of the century, he was one of its leading practitioners right up to 1994. Ill-health obliged him to retire late in that year.

I recall the Almeida Music Festival in 1983 when Tudor played Cage's Solo for Piano, and Variations II. The pianist 'Blue' Gene Tyranny also played in the festival, and chatting with him after his performance he commented on how terrified he felt, playing in Tudor's presence. He said it felt like taking his finals with his professor standing behind him looking over his shoulder. Tudor's pianism is legendary among aficionados of new music. A true pianists' pianist.

**ferneyhoughgeliebte** · 04-11-12, 13:24

Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post

Wasn't Franz Liszt supposed to be rather good too?

Not easily demonstrated on a CD broadcast, though.

**Eine Alpensinfonie** · 04-11-12, 13:28

Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post

Not easily demonstrated on a CD broadcast, though.

No, but the selection does remind me of those surveys, such as the most beautiful woman of all time. In the 60s, Elizabeth Taylor came top, whilst in the late 1990s, Kate Winslet was the winner.

Similarly, the greatest song of all time was "Hey Jude"

50 Greatest Pianists

50 Greatest Pianists

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment