Selecting the greatest pianists in the history of classical music is no easy task. A great deal of consideration must go into the process so that the resulting list represents popular opinion, rather than the personal preference of a handful of people.
The pianists in this list all share that certain otherworldly quality that makes it difficult to take your eyes off them. A great pianist can rock any piece you put in front of him, be it Back, Shostakovich or Haydn. They’ve not only incredible dexterity but a certain flair for interpreting the piece in a way it hasn’t been done before.
Discover below the best pianists of all time, from across the globe.
Sergey Rachmaninov
Although arranged in no particular order, we just have to start with Rachmaninov. Born in Russia in 1873, Rachmaninov delights audiences to this day thanks to the many recordings of his work that are available.
Rachmaninov’s work is the stuff of legend, standing out both as a unique, highly gifted pianist, and also a great composer. Listening to Rachmaninov, one gets a wonderful sense of duality. On the one hand, the pianist shines with tight, rhythmic precision. Yet on the other, his playing seems volcanic and springy.
Having left Russia in 1918, the pianist’s repertoire truly entered its golden years in the UK and America. Here, the latter years of his life were filled with extensive touring, and it was in the West that the pianist recorded some of his most famous renditions of Debussy, Mendelssohn, and Schumann, just to name a few.
Dinu Lipatti
Lipatti lives on in the music world, both in his native country of Romania, as well as abroad. Born in 1917, Lipatti stood out as a piano-playing prodigy fairly early in his short life.
The quality that allowed this piano great to stand out, specifically, was his keen, unusual eye for the music he played. One only has to listen to Lipatti’s recordings, of which a few survive, to notice a certain musicality that another’s rendition of the same piece lacks. Did Lipatti see more than other musicians? Perhaps.
One thing is for certain, Lipatti’s piano has a dynamic, erratic nature that comes across as flawless. Cruelly cut down at the very height of his career by Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Lipatti died at the tender age of 33. One can but imagine how many recordings of the great pianist’s work might’ve come, had it not been for this diagnosis.
Sviatoslav Richter
Returning to Russian shores, we’ve Sviatoslav Richter, considered by many the greatest piano of the 20th century (no small feat). The pianist who was also of German descent is remembered today, both for his talent, as well as his eccentricity.
A shy, sensitive man by nature, Richter did not enjoy his fame and would perform on a darkened stage, towards the end of his life. What stands out about Richter’s playing is how deeply immersed he became in each piece he performed. Though he stayed away from the “classics”, his renditions of Schubert, Handel, and Liszt are some of the most soulful in existence.
Richter was admired and appreciated for his incredible gift during his own lifetime, with composers Shostakovich and Prokofiev writing pieces specifically for him.
Artur Rubinstein
Remembered chiefly for his sublime rendition of Chopin, Polish pianist Rubenstein was a master at timing and rhythm. His performances, which have stood the test of time thanks to numerous recordings, display a golden sense of harmony that even the finest artists may not always possess.
Yet Rubinstein played each piece as if he knew what the composer had in mind, specifically, when writing it. Born in 1887, he enjoyed an extensive career (dying at the grand age of 95), during which he gave masterful performances of anything and everything from Haydn, to Schubert, to Brahms, to Ravel.
Vladimir Horowitz
Emerging from Kiev, in present-day Ukraine, Vladimir Horowitz rose to prominence as one of the most skillful Russian pianists of his time. Born in 1903, Horowitz cut a dapper figure and appeared fairly subdued, even shy. Until that is, one heard him perform.
To this day, when one thinks of Horowitz, one must mention his light, yet fierce piano playing. Standing out through his agility behind the keyboard, the piano virtuoso’s renditions of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov are characterized by a thundering fierceness.
Alfred Cortot
The overarching quality that unites all of Cortot’s work is the soulfulness and sensitivity the Swiss/French pianist put into his performances. Born in 1877, Cortot was a pianist with an extensive repertoire during his long career.
A true testament to his multitalented nature, Cortot’s music enjoys an almost single-minded focus, one that also sees Cortot reach across the entire piece, trying to hold it up in one hand, so to speak. While hitting a few more wrong notes than strictly acceptable, Cortot is remembered both for his extraordinary renditions of Chopin and Schumann, and his performances alongside Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals.
Cortot clearly had a fine-tuned ear for tonality, one that would later be of great help in his career as a conductor.
Martha Argerich
Born in 1941, the Argentinian piano virtuoso is perhaps the most mesmerizing, and unusual contemporary pianist. Argerich’s career, traced from her 1965 performance at the Chopin competition in Warsaw, is as astonishing as it is perplexing.
Clearly endowed with a rare gift, and the ability to pour herself wholeheartedly into her music, Argerich’s life and work have been dominated by her shy nature and intense dislike of her “profession”.
Though Argerich would’ve had the makings of a fantastic solo pianist, she shunned that path early on, electing to focus on orchestral ensembles and chamber music instead. The musician’s reclusiveness has only added to her legend, making Argerich a fascinating, if mysterious figure.
Emil Gilels
Sharing both a home country and a teacher with Sviatoslav Richter, in the form of Heinrich Neuhaus, Gilels was a strikingly tempered and courteous performer. While not a temperamental performer, Gilels’s performances were each a masterclass in timing and meticulousness.
Although he arrived in the West earlier than Richter, Gilels never ceased insisting the latter was a superior piano player. And while the distinction, we’d argue, is one of personal taste, Gilels’ own recordings of Tchaikovsky and Scarlatti among others remain to this day some of the best in the history of classical music.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Where some pianists in this list stand out through the extensive lengths of their repertoire, this Italian piano player does the opposite. Rather than stretch himself thin, Michelangeli, a deeply passionate performer preferred to stick to a very strict list of works, which he, in turn, honed and perfected over many years.
Born in 1920, Michelangeli rapidly drew international acclaim thanks to his sonorous performances of composers such as Grieg, Debussy, and Beethoven. Often evocative, his performance behind the piano was characterized by almost otherworldly energy.
Artur Schnabel
Finally, an Austrian to end our list. Born in 1882, Schnabel is remembered chiefly for his interpretations of Beethoven’s sonatas. Schnabel, a deeply energetic and excitable artist, was more than a mere pianist. He was a performer, one who delighted in creating a spectacle, and focused more on imbuing his performances with soul, rather than accuracy.
That’s perhaps why his repertoire consisted of composers that sparked emotion in him (among which Bach, Brahms, Schubert, and Mozart, alongside Beethoven). To perform a piece one did not feel connected to was not an option for Schnabel.
Eager to hear these fantastic pianists in all their resplendent glory? Head on over to any of Radio Art’s 34 classical music channels. Here, you can hear virtuosos like Lipatti, Schnabel, Gilels, and many more.
