Leif Ove Andsnes (1970-)
The brilliant Norwegian pianist has made a name for himself as one of the greatest musicians working today, not least due to his recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. With 11 Grammy nominations to his name, and the somewhat dubious title of ‘Best Fingers’ according to Vanity Fair in 2004, Andsnes is one of the most exciting and evocative pianists on the world stage today.
Martha Argerich (1941-)
The world woke up to the phenomenal talent of Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich in 1964 when she won the International Piano Competition at the age of 24. 60 years on from that historic global debut, Argerich is arguably the greatest living pianist and can sell out concerts in minutes. A once-in-a-generation talent.
Claudio Arrau (1903-1991)
It’s said that this great Chilean pianist could read music before he could read words. It wasn’t long before he was playing works like the virtuosic Transcendental Etudes by Liszt. He’s perhaps best-known for his interpretations of the music of Beethoven. The legendary conductor Colin Davis said of Arrau: “His sound is amazing, and it is entirely his own… His devotion to Liszt is extraordinary. He ennobles that music in a way no one else in the world can.”
Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937-)
Vladimir Ashkenazy is one of the heavyweights of the classical music world. Born in Russia, Ashkenazy was joint winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1962, before leaving the USSR to live in London the following year. He now holds both Icelandic and Swiss citizenships and performs as a pianist and conductor around the world.
His vast catalogue of recordings includes the complete piano works of Rachmaninov and Chopin, the complete sonatas of Beethoven, Mozart’s piano concertos as well as works by Scriabin, Prokofiev and Brahms. He’s worked with all the biggest names of the 20th century including conductors Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta and Bernard Haitink.
Daniel Barenboim (1942-)
Daniel Barenboim’s unparalleled career as a pianist, conductor, and advocate for world peace has earned him a place on some of the world’s greatest stages, from the Berlin State Opera to the United Nations. The Israeli-Argentinian conductor was also one of four esteemed figures to escort the Olympic flag into the London stadium in 2012.
Having made his performing debut at seven years old, Barenboim has honed his skill to become one of the world’s finest pianists, with a vast repertoire all played with needle-like precision and emotive musical intuition.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
From one of the great Beethoven interpreters, to the piano titan himself. Beethoven’s piano works are some of the most widely admired, from his ‘Moonlight’ Sonata to ‘Für Elise’. He was a radical musician in his time, as his contemporary Carl Ludwig Junker remarked: “Beethoven’s playing differs so greatly from the usual method of treating the piano, that it seems as if he had struck out an entirely new path for himself.”
We may not have any recordings of Beethoven performing, but we do have the virtuosic and inventive music he wrote for the piano and accounts from those who were fortunate to have heard him play. Although better known now as a composer, he was renowned in his day for prolifically virtuosic piano battles in Vienna – which he
Alfred Brendel (1931-)
“If I belong to a tradition it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what he should do and not the performer telling the piece what it should be like.” Those are the words of the brilliant Mr Brendel himself.
He can turn his hand to music from any period but is particularly respected for his interpretations of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Liszt.
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Poland’s most famous composer was also one of the great piano virtuosos of his day. The vast majority of his work was for solo piano and though there are no recordings of him playing, one contemporary said: “One may say that Chopin is the creator of a school of piano and a school of composition. In truth, nothing equals the lightness, the sweetness with which the composer preludes on the piano; moreover nothing may be compared to his works full of originality, distinction and grace.”
Glenn Gould (1932-1982)
If there were ever a pianist who divided classical music fans, Glenn Gould is the one. The Canadian pianist is best known for his performances of the music of J.S. Bach, and particularly The Goldberg Variations. But he’s also famous for humming along while he played, performing on a tiny chair with sawn-off legs, which he took to all his concerts, and his exacting demands for recording and performing conditions.
Myra Hess (1890-1965)
Dame Myra Hess is famous not so much for winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 12, nor for performing with the legendary conductor Sir Thomas Beecham when she was 17 – but for the series of concerts she gave at the National Gallery during WWII.
During the war, London’s music venues were closed to avoid mass casualties if any were hit by bombs. Hess had the idea of using the Gallery to host lunchtime concerts. The series ran for six and a half years and Hess herself performed in 150 of them.
The 25 best pianists of all time
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/best-pianists-all-time/
kcontent
'World' 카테고리의 다른 글
| 2024년 세계에서 가장 많이 팔린 승용차 브랜드 Top10 Best-selling passenger car worldwide in 2024 (0) | 2025.02.06 |
|---|---|
| 순이익 기준 세계 10대 은행 The world’s top 10 banks by net profit (0) | 2025.02.05 |
| 세계 최초 AI 3D 프린팅 신발 World's first AI-designed, 3D-printed shoe wants to be the next Crocs (0) | 2025.02.01 |
| 최고의 차 브랜드 The Best Teas Brands, Tested by Experts (0) | 2025.01.24 |
| Top 5 Global Robotics Trends 2025 (0) | 2025.01.23 |
