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Favorite Pianists

I've recently become obsessed with great piano music. Not necessarily classical, just great. Like the thread I started regarding acoustic guitar, this follows the same lines. Who is your favorite? It doesn't have to be based on the ability to play fast or on the technical ability side of it. It just needs to be moving. Needs to be able to pull you in and tell a story of your past. I guess the best term to describe this is simply beautiful music.

As of right now, Ludovico Einaudi is my absolute favorite. I've listened to quite a bit of this genre lately and George Winston, Peter Kater and Kevin Kern all get high marks from me. But none of them move me like Ludovico Einaudi.

If you have an absolute favorite, just one that hits you like no other, post it. If you have several, list them.

Thanks!
tiggerfc
playpen
161 posts
 
Vladimir Horowitz is my favorite musician.Byron Janis is excellent also for classical.Both play Rachmaninoff to my liking.I never cared for Van Cliburn playing Chopin.
rhyno's avatar
rhyno
649 posts
 
Nicky Hopkins...check his playing on Jerry Garcia Band's "let it rock". amazing.
yu11375
137 posts
 
Ingrid Haebler. Although she is not the greatest pianists but she is definitely my favorite one.

Most pianists either demonstrate their super human skills (Horowitz & Brendel), philosophical readings (Schnabel & Kempff) or witty personal interpretations (Gould & Gulda). Some pianists even exercise overpoweringly showy tone in recordings and performances to prove their capabilities (contemporary Lang Lang and his prior generation counterpart, Richter).

Not Haebler! Limited recordings available to us indicate her subtle and sensible touch on keyboard. She leads you to the most inner core of music in such a neutral way that you just “glide” with the flow of music. No weight burden, nor compass direction. Free from any conscious activities of mankind. That’s the very point I admire her. Great music should come to you not the other way around. By this perspective, Haebler’s achievement is unsurpassable.

Only aged Serkin in Beethoven’s last 3 piano sonatas provides us a glimpse sense of such liberty.
jetrexpro
506 posts
 
Evgeny Kissin playing Chopin. magic, poetry.
photon46
1,076 posts
 
I always thought Claudio Arrau stuck a fine balance between virtuosity and introspective/philosophical pianism. I agree with most of what Yu11375 said, although I've rather liked Brendel's playing myself. I quite like Andras Schiff's playing as well, another example of great balance IMO.
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