Virtuoso Pianists
Pianist↕ | Country↕ | Years↕ | Signature Repertoire↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Horowitz | Ukraine/United States | 1903-1989 | Liszt, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff | Electrifying technique, thunderous octaves, triumphant return to Moscow 1986 |
| Arthur Rubinstein | Poland/United States | 1887-1982 | Chopin, Brahms | Chopin authority, aristocratic style, performed into his 90s, Israel Philharmonic friend |
| Martha Argerich | Argentina | 1941- | Prokofiev, Ravel, Chopin | Fiery temperament, famous cancellations, chamber music lover, Lugano Festival |
| Lang Lang | China | 1982- | Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Bach | Chinese superstar, Beijing Olympics opener, showmanship, Goldberg Variations project |
| Sviatoslav Richter | Soviet Union | 1915-1997 | Schubert, Prokofiev, Bach | Late bloomer, vast repertoire, preferred small venues, legendary concentration |
| Emil Gilels | Soviet Union | 1916-1985 | Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg | Soviet golden sound, first Soviet pianist to tour West, steel-fingered precision |
| Glenn Gould | Canada | 1932-1982 | Bach | 1955 and 1981 Goldberg Variations, humming, low chair, retired from stage at 31 |
| Krystian Zimerman | Poland | 1956- | Chopin, Brahms, Lutoslawski | Perfectionist, travels with own piano, Chopin Competition 1975 winner at 18 |
| Maurizio Pollini | Italy | 1942-2024 | Chopin, Boulez, Beethoven | Cerebral precision, Chopin Competition 1960 at 18, 20th-century music champion |
| Alfred Brendel | Austria | 1931- | Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart | Scholar-pianist, Beethoven sonata cycles, essays and poetry, retired 2008 |
| Mitsuko Uchida | Japan/United Kingdom | 1948- | Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg | Mozart concerto benchmark, Marlboro Festival co-director, Dame and Grammy winner |
| Daniel Barenboim | Argentina/Israel | 1942- | Beethoven, Wagner transcriptions | Pianist-conductor double career, Beethoven cycles, West-Eastern Divan founder |
| Yuja Wang | China | 1987- | Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev | Blazing speed, bold concert attire, Rach 3 specialty, Curtis graduate |
| Evgeny Kissin | Russia | 1971- | Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt | Moscow prodigy, Chopin concertos at 12, intense Romantic interpretations |
| Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli | Italy | 1920-1995 | Debussy, Ravel, Chopin | Perfectionist cancellations, pristine tone, tiny repertoire, tuned his own pianos |
| Claudio Arrau | Chile | 1903-1991 | Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt | Prussian training, complete Beethoven cycles, philosophical depth, taught Daniel Barenboim |
| Radu Lupu | Romania | 1945-2022 | Schubert, Brahms | Bear of a man in a chair (not a bench), Schubert poetry, avoided recordings late in life |
| Grigory Sokolov | Russia | 1950- | Bach, Beethoven, Chopin | Tchaikovsky Competition 1966 at 16, only European tours, no recordings by choice |
| Clara Haskil | Romania/Switzerland | 1895-1960 | Mozart, Scarlatti, Schumann | Mozart purity, scoliosis struggles, late international recognition, died young in Brussels |
| Artur Schnabel | Austria | 1882-1951 | Beethoven, Schubert | First complete recorded Beethoven sonata cycle, intellectual heavyweight, Schirmer editions |
| Dinu Lipatti | Romania | 1917-1950 | Chopin, Bach, Mozart | Died at 33 from leukemia, Besancon farewell recital, Chopin waltzes standard |
| Vladimir Ashkenazy | Russia/Iceland | 1937- | Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin | Tchaikovsky Competition shared winner, Decca recording marathon, conducting second career |
| Murray Perahia | United States | 1947- | Bach, Mozart, Schumann | Mozart concerto conductor-from-keyboard, Leeds Competition 1972, Bach golden decade |
| Igor Levit | Russia/Germany | 1987- | Beethoven, Rzewski, Bach | Complete Beethoven sonatas recording, pandemic Twitter concerts, political outspokenness |
| Khatia Buniatishvili | Georgia | 1987- | Liszt, Rachmaninoff | Glamorous stage presence, Romantic firepower, best-selling recordings |
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