People

Virtuoso Pianists

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Updated:4/9/2026
25/25
Pianist
Country
Years
Signature Repertoire
Known For
Vladimir Horowitz
Ukraine/United States
1903-1989Liszt, Scriabin, RachmaninoffElectrifying technique, thunderous octaves, triumphant return to Moscow 1986
Arthur Rubinstein
Poland/United States
1887-1982Chopin, BrahmsChopin authority, aristocratic style, performed into his 90s, Israel Philharmonic friend
Martha Argerich
Argentina
1941-Prokofiev, Ravel, ChopinFiery temperament, famous cancellations, chamber music lover, Lugano Festival
Lang Lang
China
1982-Liszt, Tchaikovsky, BachChinese superstar, Beijing Olympics opener, showmanship, Goldberg Variations project
Sviatoslav Richter
Soviet Union
1915-1997Schubert, Prokofiev, BachLate bloomer, vast repertoire, preferred small venues, legendary concentration
Emil Gilels
Soviet Union
1916-1985Beethoven, Brahms, GriegSoviet golden sound, first Soviet pianist to tour West, steel-fingered precision
Glenn Gould
Canada
1932-1982Bach1955 and 1981 Goldberg Variations, humming, low chair, retired from stage at 31
Krystian Zimerman
Poland
1956-Chopin, Brahms, LutoslawskiPerfectionist, travels with own piano, Chopin Competition 1975 winner at 18
Maurizio Pollini
Italy
1942-2024Chopin, Boulez, BeethovenCerebral precision, Chopin Competition 1960 at 18, 20th-century music champion
Alfred Brendel
Austria
1931-Beethoven, Schubert, MozartScholar-pianist, Beethoven sonata cycles, essays and poetry, retired 2008
Mitsuko Uchida
Japan/United Kingdom
1948-Mozart, Schubert, SchoenbergMozart concerto benchmark, Marlboro Festival co-director, Dame and Grammy winner
Daniel Barenboim
Argentina/Israel
1942-Beethoven, Wagner transcriptionsPianist-conductor double career, Beethoven cycles, West-Eastern Divan founder
Yuja Wang
China
1987-Rachmaninoff, ProkofievBlazing speed, bold concert attire, Rach 3 specialty, Curtis graduate
Evgeny Kissin
Russia
1971-Chopin, Rachmaninoff, LisztMoscow prodigy, Chopin concertos at 12, intense Romantic interpretations
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Italy
1920-1995Debussy, Ravel, ChopinPerfectionist cancellations, pristine tone, tiny repertoire, tuned his own pianos
Claudio Arrau
Chile
1903-1991Beethoven, Brahms, LisztPrussian training, complete Beethoven cycles, philosophical depth, taught Daniel Barenboim
Radu Lupu
Romania
1945-2022Schubert, BrahmsBear of a man in a chair (not a bench), Schubert poetry, avoided recordings late in life
Grigory Sokolov
Russia
1950-Bach, Beethoven, ChopinTchaikovsky Competition 1966 at 16, only European tours, no recordings by choice
Clara Haskil
Romania/Switzerland
1895-1960Mozart, Scarlatti, SchumannMozart purity, scoliosis struggles, late international recognition, died young in Brussels
Artur Schnabel
Austria
1882-1951Beethoven, SchubertFirst complete recorded Beethoven sonata cycle, intellectual heavyweight, Schirmer editions
Dinu Lipatti
Romania
1917-1950Chopin, Bach, MozartDied at 33 from leukemia, Besancon farewell recital, Chopin waltzes standard
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Russia/Iceland
1937-Chopin, Rachmaninoff, ScriabinTchaikovsky Competition shared winner, Decca recording marathon, conducting second career
Murray Perahia
United States
1947-Bach, Mozart, SchumannMozart concerto conductor-from-keyboard, Leeds Competition 1972, Bach golden decade
Igor Levit
Russia/Germany
1987-Beethoven, Rzewski, BachComplete Beethoven sonatas recording, pandemic Twitter concerts, political outspokenness
Khatia Buniatishvili
Georgia
1987-Liszt, RachmaninoffGlamorous stage presence, Romantic firepower, best-selling recordings

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