# A safe pair of hands



## David Phillips

Dazzling pianists: powerful, eccentric, perverse, vocal, wayward, geniuses - but who do you listen to when you just want to hear a piece of piano music played accurately at a sensible tempo, as the composer intended, without the rhythm being pulled about, notes changed or other kinds of creative intervention from the pianist. In other words, who would you choose as a safe pair of hands?


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## MarkW

Vladimir Ashkenazy


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## Ulfilas

Interesting question. 

Richard Goode, Murray Perahia.


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## Animal the Drummer

Alfred Brendel, John Lill.


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## Mandryka

Claudio Colombo


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## Mandryka

MarkW said:


> Vladimir Ashkenazy


This recording certainly


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## Dan Ante

There are so many it depends on which composer you have in mind Alfred Brendel never disappoints.


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## elgar's ghost

Jenő Jandó, perhaps?


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## Skakner

Every performance reflects a part of the pianist's musical-artistic philosophy, to a certain extent. That's inevitable. I couldn't give a name for the top of the list but a place near the bottom belongs to the gentleman on the left...


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## Varick

Brendel, Ashkenazy, and Perahia mentioned above are good solid choices. Unless I'm studying a piece that I'm about to learn, I rarely want to hear "technically perfect" performed pieces (Alfred Brendel doing the Beethoven Sonatas is a great example. His playing does NOTHING emotionally to me, but if I want to "study" the piece, he would be one of my first choices). I want to hear music performed that moves me emotionally and deeply. However, If there is one pianist who I believe walks this razor's edge perfectly, I would have to say Sviatoslav Richter.

V


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## Simplicissimus

John Browning. He was anything but a show-off. One of my music professors described his playing as "restrained brilliance."


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## Joachim Raff

Georg Wilhelm Rauchenecker String Quartet No. 1 is very rare but you get a chance to listen its quite a delightful piece and rewarding.


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## Caryatid

I'd agree with Murray Perahia and Alfred Brendel. But to be honest there are dozens of young pianists now who can play virtually anything very, very competently. In fact they often show a better technique in difficult passages than more famous names.


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## pianozach

*Claudio Arrau

Arthur Rubenstein*


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## cheregi

I lack the the knowledge to contribute anything meaningful to this discussion, but I just want to say I love the title of this thread. I ran through several ideas on what it could mean or be about without landing on the correct interpretation.


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## Roger Knox

..............................................


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## Roger Knox

Dinu Lipatti in the limited number of works he recorded.
Garrick Ohlsson
Maria João Pires
Ivan Moravec


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## SearsPoncho

Ashkenazy and Brendel are the two that come to mind for safe, traditional interpretations played very well.


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## thejewk

Sadly he doesn't seem to have recorded a huge amount, but after listening to his Webern and late Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Charles Rosen isn't a bad pick.


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## EdwardBast

Another picking Ashkenazy. His discography must be vast.


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## Handelian

EdwardBast said:


> Another picking Ashkenazy. His discography must be vast.


I would certainly concur with this, not the best in everything but would not disappoint.


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## Animal the Drummer

I don't like his Mozart concertos, I'm afraid. Far too often I find his phrasing oddly lumpy.


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## Unkadunk

*My Favorite American Pianist*

Van Cliburn, for reliable technique and "golden tone," one of the last such. His affinity for the Russian repertoire is well-documented. I wish that I could say the same for his German repertoire, which mostly or completely ignores Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. Cliburn also provides some of the best under-rated Chopin playing on record, IM-not-so-HO.


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## Haydn70

Unkadunk said:


> Van Cliburn, for reliable technique and "golden tone,".


A pianist has no control over the tone produced by his playing. He has control over the speed of the hammer hitting the strings. The faster the speed, the louder the sound. It is not possible to play the same note twice at the same resulting volume level and vary the tone between the two.


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## Dan Ante

Haydn70 said:


> A pianist has no control over the tone produced by his playing. He has control over the speed of the hammer hitting the strings. The faster the speed, the louder the sound. It is not possible to play the same note twice at the same resulting volume level and vary the tone between the two.


Iam not a pianist but have played with quite a few when I was active, What are the pedals for???


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## starthrower

Simplicissimus said:


> John Browning. He was anything but a show-off. One of my music professors described his playing as "restrained brilliance."


I attended one of his concerts in 1995. He turned me on to the Barber piano concerto.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Perahia consistently amazes me in just about everything he plays.

Gulda as well, though I've never listened to him play anything post-Beethoven.

But in general I find it more useful to distinguish "best" (or favorite) pianists by composer or at least groups of composers.


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## Merl

Although not a 'safe' pair of hands, Khatia has a pair of hands that I could easily imagine myself enjoying a great deal. :lol:


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## Varick

Merl said:


> Although not a 'safe' pair of hands, Khatia has a pair of hands that I could easily imagine myself enjoying a great deal. :lol:
> 
> I'm sure you can. Lol
> 
> V


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## Animal the Drummer

Merl said:


> Although not a 'safe' pair of hands, Khatia has a pair of hands that I could easily imagine myself enjoying a great deal. :lol:


Never heard 'em called "hands" before....


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## Barbebleu

Perahia, Fellner, Schiff. Reliable pianists imnsho.


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## MarcusH

Thanks for this thread. As someone new to classical music, I was pondering the exact same question.


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## Pat Fairlea

Lots of good suggestions so far. I would add Peter Katin.


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