A while ago there was a thread about who was the best pianist ever. I suspect it is one of those topics that keeps recurrring every few months - along with "How can I improve my sight reading", "How can I memorize better", "How can I improve 3 grades without doing any real work". So I am sorry to raise it again, but ...

I have just been watching and listening to the Ukranian/Australian pianist: Alexander Gavrylyuk Alexander Gavryluk in Recital and I cannot imagine how anyone could ever play better.

I have seen, or listened to recordings, of every famous pianist you can think of and no-one comes close to this youmg man. Not Horowitz, or Argerich, or Gilels, or Michelangeli, or Richter - amazing as they all are or were. He has it all. Immaculate sense of tempo and rhythm, perfect control, variety of touch, speed, power, total faithfulness to the composer's indications in the score, and all with musical understaning and feeling - he really tells a story in every piece.


Amongst other things he plays a magnificent Islamei, and the Rachmaninoff Op. 39 Etudes Tableaux and makes them look effortless.

He also plays Mozart's sonata in D. K 576. That is a piece that I thought I played pretty well - until I heard this version. Back to the drawing board! And he plays the Moszkowski etudes (Op 72) - well for once I'm speechless.

Who else has seen him? What do you think?

<-- Settles for second place (a few laps behind!)

Does he play the Op 39 No 6 better than this?

Have you heard Marc-André Hamelin - he has made a name for himself playing some of the most challenging repertoire, including Sorabji. Plenty on YouTube - I'm listening to him playing Faure at the moment - very lovely.

Edward

well Alexander Gavrylyuk does have that effortless smooth playing with a special quality. I would say he is a "stayer" at the top level. All the same I think it would be hard for a 20 yr old at he start of a top-level career to compete with the divine Lisitsa or the stratospheric Hamelin, who have the advantages of time at the top. I'm happy to enjoy them all without thinking one is better than another. Not sure that I really enjoy Hamelin's repertoire although I can see the virtuosity; I don't want to play them myself.

I agree with you about Hamelin's repertoire - but I'm glad that someone's playing it!

Edward

I always think there can't be just one pianist who's the "best in the world", but there are always a number of really outstanding ones. Of course, it comes down to personal opinion in the end & depends on what you're looking for in a pianist.

Last night I went to see Mitsuko Uchida & she was totally amazing, such emotional depth & enormous variety of sounds - the soft sounds were particularly enthralling. The audience were obviously very moved & I was in tears by the end - very rare for me as I've heard a lot of great pianists. At that moment, she was the greatest in the world for me, but I know that will change as I hear other pianists. Tonight I'm going to hear Noriko Ogawa & on Friday Masa Tayama, so my opinion might change as they are also great favourites of mine.

Other personal favourites are Murray Perahia & Angela Hewitt & was also deeply moved by Lise de la Salle at her Wigmore debut last summer - I think she's definitely one to watch.

You are absolutely right. Gavrylyuk is good though isn't he?

I haven't heard him in person, yet, & that makes such a difference. I never really put anyone at the top of my favourites list until I've heard them live. Although there are often tiny slip-ups, even with the greatest pianists, the emotional side has something really special in a really great live performance.

I took 3 of my pupils (age 14, 14 & 12) to hear Masa Tayama on Friday & they were really excited & moved by his playing. For 2 of them, it was the 1st time they'd been to a piano recital & they were so inspired - it wouldn't be the same if I just gave them one of his cds.

I'll look out for Gavrylyuk & try to hear him.