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Hi all,

I'd like to do a short presentation for my class relating to contemporary top level pianists from different background. Can you recommend your own favourite and give me a little background (a few high level sentences will do) on why you like this pianists, including training (Russian, other Europian, Japanese, US, etc.) I'd really like your input and compare their different styles and training.

Also, can you recomment a favourite DVD (if not, then CD) of this pianist? My presentation will consist of viewing a clip of each (of maybe 5 or 6) and a discussion of their background and training/ styles. And an attempt to critique what I perceive as strengths and weaknesses in each style.

Any help you can give appreciated. I will do my own research - but I just want to get at least a list to work from.

Thanks much!

Kwok

Kwok :

Sounds as though you're asking us to do all the work for you : list pianists, give background and training and say why we like them. Isn't that the substance of your presentation?

Seems to me, too, that you could get most of the information you're asking for - personal opinions apart - by Googling any number of contemporary pianists.

Sviatoslav Richter, and you can watch the documentary film "Enigma" by Bruno Monsaigeon. He was a real titan of the piano. Born in Russia, he didn't take any formal lessons until his studies with Heinrich Neuhaus (one of the very famous piano pedagogues of the 20th century) at age 20. He self-taught, and played as an accompanist for an opera company during his teenage years. At age 19, he gave his first solo recital, which was an all-Chopin program (including 1st ballade and some etudes). His frienship and collaboration with Prokofiev was well-known, (his recordings of Prokofiev are particularly well-received) and he also worked with the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich on a number of occassions. (There's a terrific DVD of him playing the Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Rostropovich, if you're interested, and on another DVD ("Two Titans of the Piano") he plays some Prokofiev and Ravel). His performing style is, we might say, "traditional" -- he felt that there was only one 'correct' way to play every piece of music, so his playing is very straightforward, and yet extremely passionate at the same time.


Glenn Gould, and there are a number of DVDs you can watch; maybe a really good one for your studies would be "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould." Gould directed these 32 short clips, and in one of them he even interviews himself. Known as an eccentric intellectually as well as pianistically, the Canadian pianist is very much acclaimed (and very much criticized) for his performing style, particularly regarding his recordings of Bach. Gould hated performing live, and retired from the concert stage at age 30; however, he had a passion for recording, and his recordings of the Bach Goldberg Variations are highly rated as among the very best, even by some of those who don't like his other work. (You will learn so much about his performing style by watching the DVD of his Goldberg Variations). His style has been described as 'choppy' or 'mechanical', yet he is revered by many for his manner of bringing out the voices in polyphonic music. His understanding of the music that he played was thorough, and despite the seeming mechanicality of his playing, well, at least I can hear the love of music behind his playing.


Georges Cziffra. I don't know of any documentaries about him on DVD, but there is a terrific DVD in which he performs music by Chopin, Liszt, and Franck. Cziffra was Hungarian, and his performing style was very capricious - very unpredictable, very "wild" shall we say, and very much influenced by the whims and turns of mood. His technique was astounding, and he is very much acclaimed as a performer of Liszt. Check out a CD of him playing Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies, for example - absolutely incredible. I love his recording of the Chopin Etudes, though others might hate it - his style is so unique and so unpredictable; like Gould, he inevitably has both devout fans and devout critics.


So there you go -- three very, very, very different performers from very different backgrounds, and all of them geniuses.

Bruce,

No, I'm not asking you to do my research for me. I am not kind of person, and would not settle for someone else's research. I said in my post that I intend to do my own research - I was merely asking you to give a brief background - like Russian trained, from country, etc. That short. I did some googling, but didn't turn up a productive result. Maybe I used the wrong words. But I did try before I did this post.

I see no reason to ask for your favourite ones. I expect to get a long list as everyone is different with different tastes. From there, I will then do research on each of them to pick a top 5 or so. I'm only asking raw material to narrow down.

Thanks for your reply.

Kwok

Sam - thanks much for giving me much more than I asked for. Coincidentally, I recently just saw that same DVD of Richter you mentioned. I did not know him by reputation, but I loved his playing immediately, his scale in the opening was so smooth (like cream), I spent a lot of time trying to imitate it but couldn't achieve it! But I returned the DVD so didn't remember his name till you mentioned it here so THANKS!

Glenn Gould - The first time I heard him on a couple of CD's, I was intrigued by his very different interpretation of Bach. I didn't know whether I liked him or not - it was controversial, but you're right, he loves what he does!

Best regards,

Kwok

One note about Gould and Richter ---

Richter hated recording. He distrusted technology, and he much preferred to perform.

Gould hated performing live. He loved technology, and he much preferred to record.


There is a story recalled by Monsaigeon that Gould at one point thought so highly of Richter - and so poorly of the quality of Richter's past recordings - that he offered to personally produce a recording of any music that Richter might want to record. Richter agreed, but only on condition that Gould come to Europe and give a recital at a big festival that Richter was also performing at. That was Richter's way of saying "No way", because he knew that Gould would refuse to perform a recital.

Interesting stuff, Sam. I think maybe age related?

What do you think of Yundi Li? I'm thinking of getting his Chopin competition DVD - the one he won in Warsaw, 2000. I wanted to include one Chinese pianist - passed over Lang Lang (even tho I have his DVD sitting upstairs unopened) - and also thought of Fou T'song. But I remember how one of my teachers raved over Yundi Li - maybe because he's so young.

I'm also considering Barenboim.....

Best,

Kwok

Oh, definately do Lang Lang. His performing style is much different from the others (though if you watch a DVD of Glenn Gould, you'll see that he did some wacky stuff, too.)

I haven't heard Yundi Li very much, but I get the sense from the little I've heard that he is more of a 'classical' pianist, like Richter sort of. If you are looking for as much contrast in background and performance style, certainly looking for a Chinese performer would be a good idea, but I think that Lang Lang would have a more distinctive performance style.


Barenboim is also pretty good - I haven't heard much of him, either; just his accompanying, really.

Arrau might be another good one. He was born and raised in Chile. Argerich was from Argentina - another great pianist. Maybe Arthur Rubinstein of Poland. Argerich is more fiery, and Arrau more of the 'shmaltzy' type - sort of heart on the sleeve romantic. Big contrast to someone like Gould or Richter.

How about an Italian? Pollini and Michelangeli are very well-known.

American? Kapell, Wild, Janis

German? Gieseking, Kempff

Alfred Brendel (Czechoslovakia) might be an interesting one to study. He was a very intellectual pianist - analyzed everything he played and wrote lots of essays.


You should check out the book by Elyse Mach, "Great Contemporary Pianists Speak for Themselves." It's a book of interviews with a few dozen great pianists, but there are hardly any questions - the pianists just talk and talk and talk. It's fascinating, and it might help you decide on some that you might want to focus on, and also give you some great insight that you might not get just from a documentary or a music video or a biography.

OK - I'll take a look at that Lang Lang DVD then. But I have a lot of respect for the teacher who likes Yundi Li - she was trained by a student of Neuhaus. Brendel sounds interesting - I'll check into him. And I'd like to add one American pianist too.

I'm also looking into female pianists and am considering Helene Grimaud (I actually saw her perform once many years ago and loved it), and also Mitsuko Uchida.

I'm hoping to get more recommendations so I can widen the pool to select from....so thx again.

Best,

Kwok

Martha Argerich: You will have to google her to get more info than I can give. The reason I like her so well is her technique and beautiful tone that she produces when playing the piano. There are some short videos online of her playing at www.youtube.com do a search and listen and see for yourself.

Thanks, pianobuff. I just did a quick check and have put her on my list to consider. It would be interesting to listen to both Martha and Yundi play Chopin since they both won this competition, but 15 years apart.

Best,

kwok

kwok,
I appreciate emotion, expression, and tone over everything else. But right after those things comes articulation and clarity. All these pianists have extreme clarity:

Grigory Sokolov, russian living pianist. He has one of the clearest playing I've heard, and is the best Chopin performer I have heard. I strongly recommend you listen to his recording of the Etudes Op.25 with the Sonata No.2 (in the same CD). Specially Etudes No. 2 (listen to how articulate the right hand is, just amazing), 4, 6 (here, his clarity is an abyss superior to others' recordings), 11, 12 Op.25. I have compared more than 10 different versions of etudes no. 11 and 12 op.25 and after listening to Sokolov's, it's just miles, miles apart. I think Cziffra's etude no.11 op.25 is really interesting. Haven't heard much of Zimerman, Li, but I think those are great though.

Murray Perahia, north american. I have yet to listen to Mozart recordings that sound as natural and perfect (to me) as his. I love his Mozart. And I think he is an extremely balanced pianist when it comes to other styles (which means I love his Bach, Schumann, Chopin, etc.).

Trevor Pinnock, english I think. He is my favourite for Bach, eventhough he's cold and mechanical compared to others. I recommend you listen to the Harpsichord Concertos, etc.

For Liszt:
Lazar Berman and Georges Cziffra are the best I have heard of all. Extreme clarity and superb technique, listen to the Trascendental Etudes by any of them. I think Cziffra understood Liszt better than any other, but I don't think his perfomances are "perfect", I think they are the best I have heard.

For Impressionism, mainly Debussy, by far:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet. He's french. The best I've heard for Debussy, Satie, Ravel.

Then, there are other pianists who are in my view, very good, excellent, and are worth listening to always:
Vladimir Ashkenazy (he plays as clear as Sokolov), Vladimir Horowitz (very clear playing also overall), Dinu Lipatti (great Chopin), Rubinstein (beautiful Chopin), Andre Marc-Hamelin (great performer for modern composers), and many others.

I should add that the Ravel piano Concertos I listened to, played by Zimerman, were brilliant. I think Zimerman is with Sokolov and Ashkenazy, one of the most clear and articulate playing pianists.
But, I insist, that tone and expression are most important, there are too many dry-cold mechanical pianists nowadays.
It is very very subjective. Nevertheless I don't think those mentioned aren't Great Pianists (Richter, Argerich, etc.), I love them and they are Great, but not my top ten favourites. I think there's no objective better here at all,
only subjective tastes and values, so "better and worse" only applies to one's view from one's point of view.
Ary

Great stuff, Ary! I appreciate what you said about tone and expression, but balancing that with clarity.

I'm definitely going to check out Sokolov, Perahia, Thibaudet and Cziffra, out of your favourites list. I'm so glad you mentioned Thibaudet - he was the pianist in the most recent release of "Pride and Prejudice" and I loved his piano music much much more than the movie itself and after coming home in the middle of the night, immediately got on the web to find out who the pianist was!! So I will definitely include him. I almost forgot to include him, but thanks to you, he's in.


Thank you!!

Best,

Kwok

My favorite is Lang Lang. I think his expression and emotion is all expressed in the music he plays. And most definitely his passion for the piano and his dedication to it inspire me to keep going and inspire me to try and become the best pianist that I can.

I'm not sure who else I really like, but I think Horowitz is also a very good pianist.

My favourite is Leif Ove Andsnes, norwegian pianist, born 1970. His teacher was a Czech (Jiri Hlinka) He has a quiet confidence and brilliant technique, and I recommend his Rachmaninov (all three concerts), Mozart and Janacek recordings and much more
(and of course I am patriotic)

I also like the polish pianist Piotr Andrzewsky (but his name is difficult to spell )

Ragnhild

Sviatoslav Richter (Russian: Святосла́в Теофи́лович Ри́хтер) was a Sovjet pianist living during the 20th century. Born in Zhitomir (which is now in Ukraine), Sviatoslav was the son of a German pianist, who taught at the conservatory of Odessa, and a Russian pianist. Richter was mainly self taught and when he was young he especially liked opera transcriptions, like those of Wagner. He entered Moscow Conservatory at age 22, where he studied with Heinrich Neuhaus, who also taught Emil Gilels.
In 1942 he gave the world premiere of the 6th Sonata of Prokofiev, who would become a good friend of Richter.
Richter couldn't leave the USSR until the 1950's and 1960's. His performances in the west astonished the audience.
Richter's repetoire extended from Bach to Shostakovich. Personally, he found Beethoven's Hammerklavier and Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues the most difficult to interprete, together with Mozart.
Richter especially had a lot of talent for sight-reading and memorizing. He claimed to have learnt the Grieg Concerto in a week, the whole Well-Tempered Klavier Book II in a month, and a Prokofiev Sonata in three days.
He died in 1997, leaving some of the finest known recordings ever known.

What makes his recordings so special is not only his force, power, and passion, which is heard in most of the pieces he played, but also his nice toucher, the way he plays the piano and his astonishing virtuosity. He is most known for his powerful performances, very fiery. He is an excellent performer of composers like Prokofiev and Beethoven, but also for composers like Schubert and Bach.

km:
Martha and Yundi play Chopin since they both won this competition, but 15 years apart.

I think you mean 35 years apart . I have this Yundi Li DVD, which I like very much. To my ears, Argerich and Li are really quite different Chopin players, and personally I prefer the lyricism, subtelty and almost humility of Yundi Li, to the 'drama-at-all-costs' approach of Argerich, where IMO often many details and nuances get lost in the mêlée.

-Michael B.

Thanks a bunch for all your enthusiastic responses; Michael's specific recommendation for Yundi DVD and catching my typo, and Ragnhild's 2 new names. I will check into them. I've not heard Yundi's playing yet, only saw pictures of him on the internet, and he looked very humble. I liked what I saw immediately, now to hear him.... Richter is already on my list. I didn't like what I saw of Lang Lang at a Chinese New Year program last year(flashy). At my previous (1st) viewing of him, I thought he was odd (but not flashy), and a fabulous technician!


Best,

Kwok

These two would both be quite interesting. Grimaud is French trained and I remember reading in an interview how she once played Rachmaninov in an exam recital and one of the examiners said she couldn't judge her playing because she wasn't playing real music. Interestingly Grimaud is more associated with playing German music than French music or music we associate with the French school of playing like baroque, Mozart, Chopin.

Uchida is Vienna trained. She grew up there where I think her father was the Japanese ambassador to Austria. She has certainly built a strong reputation in the Viennese repertoire: Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg. Don't know whether she plays Haydn though.

The right spelling of the Polish-Hungarian pianist is Piotr Anderszewski. He has studied with,among others, Murray Perahia.
Anderszewski is, I think, quite devoted to chamber music. He plays all my favourite composers: Bach, Chopin, Mozart and Janacek.

Ragnhild