Who are, currently, the best classical and jazz pianists? Either technically, expressivly--or both.

From what I've heard on YouTube and read in Wikipedia I'm sure Kissin and Argerich would qualify. From personal experience with CDs and LPs I'm a big fan of Bobby Enriques--jazz.

Another pianist that comes to mind is Paulena Carter. I have her on LP, cover titled: 97 keys. Love her Bechstein sound.

Again, "currently."

Bech

I just bought the album and am pleasantly surprised with Wibi Soerjadi's technically and expressivly outstanding 'Dance of Devotion'. This entirely is his own composition and can be considered as solo piano film music (used at the Olympics -> gold medal). The recording includes a lot of variations on the main theme.

He can also do that typical Liszt sound (nothing wrong with that) and bring it to the highest level, but I personally like this much better.

Wibi has just fully recovered from hearing problems (does that ring a bell?) and is back on tour as we speak...

Ask Patti:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My7HaXp1Sq4

or Cole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njzqv5gWt6k

How can one say that there is a "best" classical pianist? "Best" at what? "Best" at what kind of repertoire? Even if you could nail it down to "best" Beethoven interpreter, or "best" Chopin player, the lists would be so varied and subjective as to be meaningless.

The pianist with the most impressive technique is not necessarily the "best" at anything.

Regards,

BruceD,

Your last sentence is contradictory. The pianist with the most impressive technique IS the best at that. i.e., fastest with accuracy.

I did not ask for the single best pianist but SOME of the best since they are each a little better in some ways than others. Always have been and always will be.

My goal here is to learn of (more of) the best and then find their best sounding recordings on YouTube or CDs and DVDs.

The music I most enjoy is piano music, well recorded. I find if I go back too far in time the quality of sound is just not there. Well...when compared to more recent, quality, recordings. Most certainly the talent is there but not the sound quality.

I am truly impressed with the ability of the classical musician whether pianist or other instrument. Their great efforts over a long period of time in order to become a master of their instrument deserves much respect.

Thanks to YouTube I can now SEE as well as hear their great abilities.

Bech

Well, OK, I'll grant you that. Nevertheless, from a musical standpoint, I don't want to listen to a pure technician. In that sense, s/he wouldn't be best at anything except technique.

The list of good, outstanding and even world-class classical pianists is almost as long as you'd like to make it. In no particular order :

Arthur Rubinstein
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Murray Perahia
Sviatoslav Richter
Martha Argerich
Agustin Anievas
Claudio Arrau
Daniel Barenboim
Malcolm Frager
Samson Francois
Peter Frankl
Andrei Gavrilov
Walter Gieseking
Helene Grimaud
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Stephen Hough
Paul Jacobs
Julius Katchen
Wilhelm Kempff
Anton Kuerti
Evgeny Kissin
Katia and Marielle Lebeque
Yundi Li
Valentina Lisitsa
Jerome Lowenthal
Radu Lupu
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Garick Ohlsson
Pascal Roge
Rudolf Serkin
Peter Serkin
Howard Shelley
Leslie Howard
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Mitsuko Uchida
Tamas Vasary
Alexis Weissenberg
Earl Wild
Juana Zayas

That should get you started in the classical realm.

Regards,
Regards,

"Most impressive" does not, necessarily, translate to "best". Why is it that most equate technique with speed?

Bobby Enriques was a great pianist, but unfortunately no longer current.

I had the same gut reaction as BruceD (who's the best?!?), but your explanation makes it clearer.

I think you'd get more useful responses and less static by asking "who are some of the great pianists I might want to listen to?"

I'd like to hear the answers also. I recently learned of Volodos on this board (all I can say is WOW), and I'm trying to learn of others.

Lang Lang (slinks off under a hail of rotten eggs)

You are trying to stir the pot, yes? tsk tsk

Trying to stir the pot? Any mention of Lang Lang on this board is an automatic stir!

i'm assuming 'currently' = 'still living'.

i'm not assuming you're familiar with chick corea & keith jarrett, two contemporary creative geniuses at the keyboard.

some samples of their huge body of work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPqK1JJOFxw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCGWh-VZhI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obymdlwz0Ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCZ-iL19Em4

Nice list, Bruce. I recently was introduced to Andrei Gavrilov's playing of Bach concerti with Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Stellar performance.

I'd like to add my own thoughts to what Bruce said. In the last few years, I've heard too many budding virtuosos who appear in world competitions with dazzling technique, ear splitting volume and very little musicality. From what I have read here at PW and in other venues, blazing technique wins over musicality. It was my former Russian teacher's opinion that Western judges favor perfect execution and technique over soul. He said the opposite of Russian judges who are more forgiving of a wrong note here or there, but want to have their hearts touched by the music. Perhaps it's my Russian genes, but technique alone leaves me cold. I prefer depth of feeling in my music, (without overdoing it.)

I'm surprised Jason isn't throwing rotten eggs @ Bruce for omitting Lief Ove Andsnes from his list!

-Daniel

As has often been observed before, too: the recording industry has - perhaps - done music listeners a great disservice by engineering recorded performances to perfection, so that never a wrong note is heard and the performances are technically and sonically "pure".

That said, I think one can understand, to a point, the editing out of wrong notes in a studio performance. No listener wants to hear wrong notes permanently embedded in a recording. Knowing that the pianist misses the top C-sharp in that flourish - and will miss it every time - would always make me cringe in the few seconds before hearing the note.

Regards,

Yeah I was looking for Lang Lang in the list too (><) hahaha

Me with one of the greatest living pianists.

Thank you for NOT including him. Excellent list, however. My favorite pianist isn't there, but, of course, you can't expect everyone to be.

God, that guy is a fruitloop. Some of his playing has sure left me wondering, too.

Grimaud? Really?...

And where's Ivo, huh =P And Horowitz...

How about purely "musician"? Any instrumentalists/conductors. My ultimate favourite musician ever is Gergiev.

I was looking at BruceD's list and seeing a lot of people who have been dead a long, long time. It reminded me of the time I went to a Milhaud concert with my father's widow, and it struck me that most of the music was older than Brahms' last works were when she studied with Milhaud. It is an indication of how ossified "classical" music has become.

that dave brubeck? very cool.

Wait! Grimaud is on there? Ugh. Bruce, we're not friends for 5 minutes.

Swap out Grimaud for Andsnes...

Yes indeed, Bruce... here we go again!

O.K. I'll rephrase my question--not that I really need to at this point.

Who are some of the better pianists that have been recorded in recent years who have recordings with top quality sound? On YouTube I find the quality of recordings to run from very bad to great--with all music.

There must have been a point in time--when digital arrived? (Here we go....) That musical recordings improved to their present level. I'm asking because I don't know and expect some of you do. CDs vs. LPs? I don't have the answer for that controversy but lean toward CDs.

Since discovering YouTube not long ago I'm really enjoying not only hearing great musicians but also seeing them perform. Really great!

In sum, I'm searching for GREAT SOUNDING piano recordings by great pianists. My main motivation for this post. Thus, my "Subject" is a bit off the mark.

Bech

Are you sitting or standing BDB?

...sorry, only kidding! Excuse me but, who is the pianist btw?

Ethneo nailed it a while ago... it's Brubeck.

That is Dave Brubeck, another Milhaud student, and quite proud of it.