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Guess I should post mine

All time favorites on record.

Ivan Moravec. For me he set a standard that no other recording artist has touched (until recently). He had an ability to play the most complex pieces with nuance, subtlety and articulation that was in a league of his own. I found most of his interpretations to be my favorite or among my favorites. Very few other pianists so consistently achieved that with me.

Second favorite Byron Janis. A master of the big concertos. His Rachmaninoff recordings are all among my top choices.

Historical pianists of note. Generally speaking I find the old old guard to be lacking in technical excellence to the point of distraction and to be very stilted and heavy handed in their phrasing and dynamic shadings. The two notable exceptions for me were Rachmaninoff and Hoffman. Rachmaninoff in particular on the face of it could sound cold and rushed but there is a certain rightness for me to his performances that are bare boned in a good way and cut to the heart of the music.

Today's recording artists, live performers. For me there is one true standout. Yuja Wang. Tehcnical excellence that equals or even surpasses the likes of Hamelin and Volodos with that special touch and nuance that only Moravec achieved to my ears. She plays in a way that makes me believe she is writing the music as she plays it. Her live performances of Prokofiev II, Rachmaninoff III, Chopin II, and Bartok II along with her recitals stand out as by far my most amazing experiences for me as a concert goer. I remember seeing her for the first time playing with Charles Dutoit at Disney Hall with the L.A. Phil. I was there to see Scheherazade. I had never heard of Yuja Wang and had very little expectations with this 21 year old unknown taking on the monster Prokofiev II. That was an out of body experience. Truly surrealistic to see some unknown deliver far and away the single most amazing performance I had ever seen to that date. Been a huge fan ever since.

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  Kimber Kable  

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