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How much luck is involved in order to become a concert pianist in the likes of Argerich, Cziffra, Richter, Horowitz or some of our modern day ones like Hamelin, Kissin, Lang Lang, Yuja Wang etc..?

I watch all these performers on youtube and think about all the other pianists around the world at various universities and conservatories who practice just as much and dedicate just as much of their time to the art, but don't end up making it as a concert pianist. It makes me wonder how much luck is involved to "make it".

If it is a large percentage of luck, that is a unsettling truth.

I don't think we'll ever know the true answer to this question. But it sure is a good question.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra, I think success as a concert pianist is ninety percent talent and hard work; and the other half is luck. Fortune favors the prepared mind so you have to be good and then ready to take advantage of the stroke of luck.

I think the luck comes mainly in that they are brought up in a situation where they are able to develop their talents, and has less to do with the later stages of 'making it big'. In other words, for example with a superstar like Cziffra, he was just amazingly good and cut through the crowd of many hard-working pianists.

Of course Cziffra was hardly born into ideal circumstances for developing his talent, but he ultimately did have good enough circumstances (coupled with extraordinary talent that probably made up for the missing training).

At a less 'superstar' level, you probably do have some people who are just as talented as others who you've never heard of, and the difference may be just luck.

Choice is more of an aspect than people think, too. A lot of pianists want to be as famous as Perahia or Argerich, but not very many want that kind of schedule.

I know some pianists who are very good but have chosen much lower-profile careers than they could have simply because they wanted a family or weren't interested in flying all over the planet to do concerts.

I think a lot of people assume that everyone who studies music at a conservatory wants to have a busy, high profile career. Having known people who've studied at big conservatories, that's just not the case.

On the other hand, I know a few people who makes regular appearances at festivals around the world, performing frequently as concerto soloists and recitalists. But it comes at a price - they've taken jobs at a colleges where they'd rather not live in order to have a stable income, they've been rather unsuccessful in relationships (it's hard to keep a long term relationship going when you're constantly out of town), and they have far more acquaintances than friends (again, it's hard to have close friends when you're rarely around for them.) But it's a life they've chosen, and for them, it's worth it.

I think that any luck involved would likely be situational, such as being in the right place at the right time (think Lang Lang stepping in for Andre Watts at the last minute in Chicago in 1999). The outcome of one of those situations will be the result of hard work and dedication.

Maybe luck can open a door for you, but I don't think that it will get you through it.

Kreisler, great post. Plus I think temperament (some very talented people don't have the emotional stamina for the concert artist life), connections, being in the right place at the right time (ok, luck) and even, these days, physical appearance may all play a role too.

It's a TON of freaking work and anyone that doesn't think so can drop what they've got lined up for a few years and take on the schedule. Of course there IS a bit of luck involved just GETTING to the point of contract/tour(s)/endorsements, etc., but it's much, much more work than most think and much, much more than most are willing to take on.

luck is needed in every discipline of sport, art, work or even in everyday life. Of course it's better when you help your luck. That's why some artists sell their souls to devil...

I almost lost my soul, but instead I turned the tables on him and got a gold fiddle Imperial Bosendorfer 290!

Luck has a lot to do with it. If an artist chooses to be a top-level touring A-list performer, and has the talent, the background, the repertoire, the work ethic, etc, thus the overall package, that does not automatically guarantee top A-level success.

If it did, there would be a lot more people at the top, which sounds a bit like an oxymoron.

I read somewhere that the aforementioned style of success in music is defined as "having the right product, at the right time, in the right place, in front of the right person/people". I think there is more than a little bit of truth to that.

I personally know several phenomenal performers who have all the above qualifications and desire, have put in a lifetime of work, yet are not anywhere near the top, even though they can play as well as, and in some cases better than, the people who are household names.

Yup, luck is a component.

ps...Politics has a bit to do with it also.

Along this thought, what about looks? Does having good looks and/or gimmicks and flashy moves helps too? It seems lots of modern day famous pianists are either cute or flashy.

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I can think of one that is both cute and flashy!

It takes a fair amount of pushiness, as well.

Now I'm dying to know who are you thinking about.

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Not Tellin'.

I think looks have something to do with it, but I wouldn't limit it to "modern" pianists. Liszt surely became more famous because he was good looking and had a good stage presence (or should I say salon presence?).

I have a collection of quotations, most compiled long ago. Here's a few pertaining to "luck" and I hope they have meaning and can be helpful to anyone whose goal is to be a concert pianist.

"The secret of success is constancy to purpose."--Disraeli

"Good luck is a lazy man's estimate of a workers success."--????

"Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure."--Earl Wilson

"Genius can happen in 10 seconds. It's that 90% follow-up that's tough and necessary."--???

"When someone referred to his 'Godlike genius', Edison snorted, 'Godlike nothing! Sticking to it is the genius." --Thomas Edison

"Winston Churchill was once asked how he accomplished so much in so many varied fields--from painting to politics. His answer was, 'Audacity is the only ticket'."--Bernice Fitz-Gibbons

"I've never sought success in order to get fame and money; it's the talent and the passion that count in success."--Ingrid Bergman

Assuming much talent, I'd go with the old saying: "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Bech

Luck plays a HUGE part. Look at the music industry as a whole and who has gotten famous. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle, Kate Perry, they are all the product of an entertainment media that push glamour and hype over real music.

If any musician wanted money they wouldn't even bother with trying to be a concert pianist. Who's rich in the classical world, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma? It's the singers like Pavoratti and Andrea Bocelli. I can't even think of anyone else.

The Spice Girls got rich and all of them combined have less musical talent than the pinky finger of Keith Jarrett. But their wallets sure aren't complaining.

I second Bech.