Great classical pianists


Alexandra Dovgan is the pianist of her generation.

 

In the last century there was Richter. Today Trifonov. Now a new phenom. What is it in the Russian water that produces such giants of the keyboard?

We enjoy all great pianists. Rubinstein, Pollini, Argerich, Backhaus, Kempf, Michelangeli, Schnabel, Pogorelic, Gilels. Please add your favorite to this embarrassment of pianistic riches. But there is primus inter pares. 

chowkwan

Showing 2 responses by chowkwan

@ fuzztone Just curious, who did you study under?

Mrs. See. Later Mr. Horwath.

Don’t want to waste bandwidth by starting a flamewar but ...

Saw Horowitz once. He always set aside a number of seats for students at discounted price. And they were good seats like center third row. Not nosebleed section. Phenomenal tone. No matter how loud he played and he did play loud the tone never never ever broke up or even a hint of breaking up. That said his technical perfection left me cold emotionally. Or maybe I don’t connect with Scriabin. But his recording of pictures is great. The end is terrifying.

Saw Arrau twice. Sorry trolls but yawn.

Ashkenazy. xlnt. Heard him at a matinee then drove across town to see Jarrett who was in his imperious phase. No coughing. No shuffling. No nuttin’. He’s mellowed.

Argerich and Pollini a step above. Pollini would play it completely differently in performance than practice. It was the inspiration of the moment.

You don’t think it can get better then comes Trifonov. He caresses each individual note as if it’s his personal friend. Usually a long gap in time before the next best of their generation by definition. Surprise! Along comes Dovgan. Other posters mentioned Sokolov. Yes! And he said of Dovgan, she is not a child prodigy. Meaning Pallas Athena sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus.

Zimerman skates up to the edge, but he never goes over.

Excited to explore the many names posted that are new to me.

 

@psf4972 

Heard Helene Grimaud play Brahms Piano Concerto Number One in Dallas on Friday 07 October 2022. A stupendous, monumental performance with tremendous accompaniment by the Dallas Symphony conducted by their music director Fabio Luisi. The pianist puts her awesome technical powers at the service of Brahms shaping the music into new and arresting forms. But never flash.

A great performance at the same exalted level of her Beethoven Fourth with Orchestre de Paris and Christoph Eschenbach.on YouTube.

Looking forward to two more performances today and tomorrow.