# Concert pianists as composers



## Gallus (Feb 8, 2018)

Bach was esteemed the greatest organ player of his day, Mozart was good enough to have bested Clementi in a contest, Beethoven was a virtuoso pianist himself, and then you had top pianists like Liszt and then Rachmaninoff in the 20th century becoming famous composers. Why aren't any of the top concert pianists of the 21st century composing their own works for the instrument as the greatest pianists of previous generations once did?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

There is a good deal of examples of pianist-composers these days, but you´re right, they are not considered among the most important ones; *Michael Finnissy* has a certain reputation though, and *Thomas Adés* has made a good deal of piano recordings and performances, both (especially Adés) are thought to be some of the best British ones.

Likewise, *Rodion Shchedrin* is a quite big name in recent Soviet/Russian music.

Among the living one could also mention names like for example *Frederic Rzewski*, *Nikolai Kapustin*,* Fazil Say* and *Olli Mustonen*, etc.


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## Thomyum2 (Apr 18, 2018)

Someone to watch is Conrad Tao, still only 23 years old but an amazing virtuoso who is already starting to make his mark as both a pianist and a composer (and incidentally also a violinist). He has appeared as pianist and/or composer with a number of major orchestras. The New York Philharmonic has commissioned a world premiere from him that will occupy the first half of one of their concerts in September of this year.


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## Beet131 (Mar 24, 2018)

Stephen Hough is one of those Renaissance men who is involved in many things. He is a concert pianist, composer, writer and artist. I was fortunate to have heard him perform one of his own compositions as well as Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. I was really impressed. He has an album called "Children's Cello," a collaboration with Steven Isserlis.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

John Ogdon


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