Top Piano Artists on Rhapsody Online

Glenn Gould

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:22:59 -0800

It's hard to overstate the importance of Canadian pianist Glen Gould, who is most noted for performing J.S. Bach's keyboard works with unmatched technical and artistic facility, as a modern ambassador of Baroque music. Gould was born in Toronto in 1932 and studied with his mother until he was 10, when he was accepted as a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music. There he took lessons under Alberto Guerrero and Frederick C. Silvester. In 1945 he gave his first recital, and he performed Beethoven's 4th piano concerto that year with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Though his stage career was fairly short -- he gave up public performance in 1964 -- he was the first North American pianist to play in Russia after World War II and gave a number of great performances on the CBC. Between 1964 and '82, Gould made scores of recordings; he taped definitive interpretations of Bach, Beethoven and Schumann, but he is perhaps best known for performing complex contrapuntal passages of Bach with remarkable clarity. His life has been the subject of exhaustive study, as has his eccentric personality, which included an aversion to handshakes and regular trips to a diner for scrambled eggs at 2 A.M. - Nate Cavalieri

Yiruma

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:37:32 -0800

This young pianist was born in South Korea but grew up and trained in England from the age of five. He released his first album, Love Scene, in 2001, and over time he became renowned for his delicate, emotional solo piano compositions. Despite his strong connections to England, Yiruma gave up his British citizenship when it came time to return to South Korea for mandatory military service. He has released albums steadily since his debut. - Sarah Bardeen

Wilhelm Kempff

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:22:54 -0800

Any serious discussion of the German Romantic piano repertoire demands mention of Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991). Over his seventy year career at the keyboard, he helped set the standard for how these works are to be interpreted in the modern era. Graced with immaculate fluidity and aching passion, his playing took every opportunity to enhance expressive nuances while totally avoiding needless displays of virtuosity. His critics blasted him for taking too many expressive liberties with the scores, but his fans held up his style as a profound reflection of the Romantic spirit. While he will forever be known as a pianist, his work away from the keyboard also deserves attention. In addition to an impressive body of Bach transcriptions, Kempff also wrote a considerable amount of original works. While none approach the brilliance attained while occupying the role of interpreter, his own works do contain the depth of emotion characteristic of a true Romantic. - Doug Russell

Murray Perahia

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:23:01 -0800

Lang Lang

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:29 -0700

Vladimir Horowitz

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:22:58 -0800

Vladimir Horowitz is a modern concert piano virtuoso, known for his legendary control, flawless technical prowess, and powerful interpretations of a broad range of classical works. In his prime, he was considered among the most distinguished and sought-after pianists in history, and though he was occasionally criticized for his flamboyant showmanship, his devoted fans and numerous recordings have secured his place on the shortlist of great 20th century pianists.

Horowitz was born in the Ukraine in 1903 (though his family lied, saying he was born a year later so he would avoid being conscripted into military service). He entered the Kiev Conservatory in 1912, and debuted in the US in 1928. He became a US citizen in 1944 and continued to perform until his death in 1989. Though the majority of his career was spent as an American citizen, he returned to the USSR near the end of his life to perform in 1986. - Nate Cavalieri

Richard Goode

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 09:54:14 -0700

Arthur Rubinstein

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:26 -0800

Alfred Brendel

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:28:17 -0800

Emanuel Ax

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:50:03 -0700

Claudio Arrau

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:24 -0700

Till Fellner

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 12:07:25 -0700

Maria Joao Pires

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:20 -0800

Maurizio Pollini

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:51 -0800

Daniel Barenboim

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:22:46 -0800

A giant figure in both the worlds of conducting and piano performance, Daniel Barenboim possesses a prolific body of Classical and Romantic era recordings to back up this statement. Born in Buenos Aires, Barenboim completed his musical education at all the right European schools, including compositional course work with Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau Music School. Barenboim was given a head start in both facets of his career from his parents: his father was a music professor and his mother a pianist. Throughout his career he has either guest conducted or personally managed virtually every major orchestra in the world, the most notable being lengthy tenures in New York, London and Berlin. In 2004 he resigned as lead of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it is yet to be seen where the future will take him. - Henry B.

Sviatoslav Richter

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 10:39:07 -0800

Artur Rubinstein

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:31:37 -0800

Artur Rubinstein has loomed large as one of the twentieth century's most celebrated classical pianists. Rubinstein is famed for his brilliant interpretations of Chopin's work but he has also worked hard to showcase the work of his own century's best composers such as Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Rubinstein's had a long, productive career and he was able to display his keyboard genius well into his eighties. He became a beloved elder statesman for the arts and was featured on television and in print even after he retired from concert halls. - Nick Dedina

Martha Argerich

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:16:15 -0800

Geoffrey Parsons

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:43:57 -0700

Frederic Mompou

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:55:51 -0800

Idil Biret

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:29:48 -0700

This highly prolific pianist performs works from all eras, mainly concentrating on the Romantic period and especially the works of piano genius Chopin. Biret captures the spirit of these composers with sublime tenderness and sensitivity. Venturing into Avant-Garde terrain, the pianist is more than equipped to vigorously take the works in hand. - Will Lerner

Van Cliburn

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:55:49 -0800

Peter Schmalfuss

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 10:25:51 -0800

Stephen Kovacevich

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:31:47 -0800

Klara Kormendi

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:23:51 -0700

Pianist has shown herself to be an excellent interpreter of Satie's piano work, capturing both the quiet melancholy and pointed wit characteristic of the composer. - Doug Russell

Jeno Jando

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:57 -0800

Whether as a soloist or part of an ensemble, Jeno Jando's joyous and dazzling piano performances are truly a wonder to hear. He tackles works by composers such as Schumann, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt, and is able to go from the deceptively simple, unspeakably pretty "Traumerei" by Schumann and the rhythmically wild and complex dance pieces of Bartok to the highly challenging, virtuosic works of Liszt. Whether collaborating with another musician or in a group, he serves as both a competent accompanist and a pronounced presence in an ensemble, guiding the mood and dynamics of a piece with heartfelt and thoughtful performances. Jando's distinctive phrasing, sublime sensitivity and dramatic lyricism makes oft-heard melody of "Traumerei" play in your ears long after the last note has faded away. - Will Lerner

Ignace Paderewski

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 10:59:47 -0700

Prior to becoming the Prime Minister of Poland in the early 1900s, Paderewski presented a powerful personality at the piano. Armed with a repertoire of Romantic masterworks, he launched a successful musical career at the end of the nineteenth century. - Henry B.

Ivan Moravec

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:38:11 -0800

Evgeny Kissin

Sun, 3 May 2009 08:33:37 -0700

Howard Shelley

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:52:24 -0800

Balazs Szokolay

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:22:09 -0800

As a pianist who revels in challenges, Szokolay performs pieces that allow him to explore different aspects of the instrument. Many works from the Romantic period -- by Chopin, Schumann, Grieg, among others -- sit comfortably next to the delightful pieces of Baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti and the rhythmically and melodically challenging works of Bartok. Pure joy radiates from Szokolay's virtuosic performances. - Will Lerner

Chitose Okashiro

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 10:08:25 -0700

John Bayless

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:44:26 -0800

Pianist John Bayless has made a career of recasting well-known pieces (Beatles songs, movie themes, Puccini arias, etc.) in classical/easy listening settings. As a soloist, he fills his performances with splashy Baroque embellishments, a trait reflected in titles such as Bach on Abbey Road. His orchestral collaborations have ranged from light and sentimental (Romantica) to gaudy and over-the-top (the pops arrangements on Beatles: Classic Hits, for example). - Will York

Boris Berezovsky

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 15:02:28 -0700

Aldo Ciccolini

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:44:22 -0800

Aldo Ciccolini is a formidable pianist, tackling the works of composers as varied as Mozart and Debussy with a graceful beauty, understated theatricality and technical proficiency that places him among the upper echelon of performing classical musicians. His interpretations of Mozart's work, for instance, perfectly matches the composer's many moods: one moment playful and light, tripping along the keys with a joyful exuberance that's positively infectious, and somber the next, evoking melancholic shades that sweep the listener up in the extraordinary beauty, simplicity of melodic line and overwhelming sense of mood. Meanwhile, Ciccolini's performances of Debussy's pieces are grand and image-laden, perfectly befitting this most Impressionist French composers. A sensitive and romantic spirit exists throughout Ciccolini's work, and the pianist's extensive imagination and ability easily brings to life these delightful and dramatic works. - Will Lerner

Sylvia Capova

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:24:02 -0800

Capova possesses a large repertoire of pieces from which she draws, although this pianist mostly sticks with classics of the Romantic period. She performs the popular works of Chopin, Beethoven and Schumann with sensitivity and grace. - Will Lerner

Oxana Yablonskaya

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 10:08:15 -0700

Alexei Lubimov

Sat, 16 May 2009 12:06:38 -0700

Mirian Conti

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:29:28 -0700

Conti's playing -- fluid, deliberately paced, subtly dynamic -- is well suited to her repertoire. She mainly delves into the works of contemporary and Romantic-era composers from Spain or South America. Her obvious empathy for their works brings an undeniable richness and emotional depth to these recordings. - Will Lerner

Alexis Weissenberg

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 11:19:59 -0700

The 5 Browns

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:35 -0700

Maria Tipo

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 12:05:39 -0700

Jackson Berkey

Thu, 14 May 2009 10:49:00 -0700

Berkey is a gifted keyboardist who plays popular classical pieces such as Debussy's Claire de Lune with appropriate solemnity, then drifts effortlessly towards the new age works of Mannheim Steamroller's Chip Davis. - Will Lerner

William Kapell

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 13:47:19 -0700

Dmitri Alexeev

Sat, 2 May 2009 10:10:04 -0700

Nikolai Lugansky

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:54:28 -0800

John Lenehan

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:22:46 -0800

As an accompanist and a soloist, Lenehan possesses great technical ability as well as a strong dramatic sensibility. He develops pieces subtly and surprisingly: by the time the earth-shattering chords pummel your ears, you'll feel as if you've been swept up into the sky. - Will Lerner

Andre Watts

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:44:28 -0800

Frank Glazer

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:47 -0800

Martin Jones

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 10:38:51 -0800