Your 10 favourite pianists

[Sir Velo]

Andreas Staier
Kristian Bezuidenhout
Alexander Melnikov
Robert Levin
Francesco Corti
Roland Brautigam
Tom Beghin
Olga Pashchenko
Alexei Lubimov
Alicia de Larrocha

(To say nothing of Pierre Hantai; Christophe Rousset; Skip Sempe; Jean Rondeau)

[ardcarp]

I couldn't possibly compile a list, but I was glad to see Angela Hewitt mentioned above. May I add Joanna MacGregor? And whilst I've heard Nikolai Demidenko knocking hell out of a piano a few times, I am surprised to be the owner (I don't know how or when) of a CD of Scarlatti Sonatas played by him. Not his usual repertoire and not HIPP exactly, but very sensitively played.

https://www.discogs.com/release/3399601-Nikolai-Demidenko-Spielt-Domenico-Scarlatti-20-Sonaten-F%C3%BCr-Klavier-Cembalo

[Lordgeous]

Again in random order:

Benjamin Britten
Solomon
Bill Evans
Yuja Wang (Yes!)
Andras Schiff
Clifford Curzon
Dinu Lipatti
Vladimir Horowitz
Steven Bishop Kov...
John Ogden

and so many more... Perlemuter, Schnabel, Arrau, Richter, Gilels, Brendel... where to stop?

[Ein Heldenleben]

I couldn't possibly compile a list, but I was glad to see Angela Hewitt mentioned above. May I add Joanna MacGregor? And whilst I've heard Nikolai Demidenko knocking hell out of a piano a few times, I am surprised to be the owner (I don't know how or when) of a CD of Scarlatti Sonatas played by him. Not his usual repertoire and not HIPP exactly, but very sensitively played.

https://www.discogs.com/release/3399...lavier-Cembalo

Had a chat with Nikolai before a recital where he was having a quick cigarette outside. You couldn’t hope to meet a more charming and modest man and what a player.
He also joint holder of the record for most generous encores playing some Bach Busoni , Chopin selection and the Rigoletto Fantasy. The other holder is Andreas Schiff who crops up in a lot of these lists who once , incredibly, encored the Wanderer Fantasy after three length Schubert sonatas.

Interesting how much agreement there is across the lists thus far.

[gradus]

My choices have already been made but I'd add Kissin and on from what I've heard on R3 Cedric Tibergien and Ingrid Fliter also Eric Lu whose playing was drawn to my attention on these boards.

[Belgrove]

Sticking to pianists I’ve seen live:

Maurizio Pollini (Beethoven sonatas; recordings Chopin, Brahms PC 2)
Alfred Brendel (Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann sonatas & PC’s ; recordings Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Liszt, Mozart PC’s)
Murray Perahia (Beethoven PC’s; recordings Beethoven, Bach, Brahms)
Cedric Tiberghien (Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens PC’s, Liszt; recordings Debussy, Ravel, Liszt, Bartok)
Jean Eflam Bavouzet (Debussy, Ravel; recordings Debussy, Ravel, Haydn)
Stephen Haugh (Debussy, Brahms; recordings Debussy, Brahms)
Yevgeny Sudbin (Scriabin, Scarlatti, Liszt; recordings Scriabin, Scarlatti, Rachmaninov)
Bertrand Chamayou (Chopin, Liszt; recordings Ravel, Saint-Saens).
Brad Mehldau (Village Vanguard; recordings Art of the Trio series).

It would be difficult to obtain a shortlist of pianists whose recordings I have but have not not seen live, but there are plenty I have seen whose recordings I’ve avoided. I wish I’d seen:
Bill Evans
Earl Wild
Vladimir Horowitz

[Nick Armstrong]

I couldn't possibly compile a list…

I felt the same, and the only way I could even start to do so was to think of the pianists whose work I’m most looking forward to hearing based on recent live or recorded performances:

Igor Levit
Alexander Melnikov
Leif Ove Andsnes
Beatrice Rana
Alexander Malofeev
Jeremy Denk
Behzod Abduraimov
Sunwook Kim
Alexandre Tharaud
Denis Kozhukhin

And that’s randomly leaving out musicians such as Vikingur Ólafsson, Louis Schwizgebel, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Yevgeny Sudbin, Bertrand Chamayou, Pavel Kolesnikov et al. all of whom are up there with those ten.



.

[pastoralguy]

How could I have missed Beatrice Rana?!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Two of my favourite pianists are my piano teacher and our choir accompanist - no pun intended (honest) but accompanist are the unsung rock of many a choir and soloist. Some of our top professional accompanists - Roger Vinoles, Malcolm Martineau, Julius Drake, Anna Tilbrook and others have marvellous skills - getting the notes right is one thing but also need at times to second guess any idiosyncrasies of their soloists!

...which is why I included Gary Matthewman.

[Rolmill]

All of my top 10 have already been listed, except Arcadi Volodos - surprised not to see him mentioned, even in despatches.

[kindofblue]

Bill Evans
Andras Schiff
Herbie Hancock
Clara Haskil
Cecil Taylor
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Thelonius Monk
Philip Thomas
Chris Abrahams [from 'The Necks']
Adam Fairhall

[Alison]

All of my top 10 have already been listed, except Arcadi Volodos - surprised not to see him mentioned, even in despatches.

Fair point. Maybe he hasn’t appeared so often in UK.

[Barbirollians]

Clara Haskil how did I miss her out .

[gradus]

I forgot Oscar Peterson.

[BBMmk2]

I hate these lists, so I won’t be contributing.