Young pianists worth following

This is such a multifaceted and interesting question for me.  My presupposition was simply going to be that all young pianists are worth following.  I must feel strongly about this topic since for nearly two days now my preamble to explain and justify this viewpoint has turned into a major essay and I have not even begun mentioning one name yet.  In order not to bore everyone to death, I have decided it is best to just bury these thoughts now in a deep hole somewhere and leave it.

Yes, given an infinite amount of time I would list every pianist and musician I know.  Since this is not possible, I will just randomly suggest some young pianists but my intention is never to rank, compare or place in tiers etc.  My message is simply to go and support musicians, period and have a healthy balance between the young, the old, and the ones no longer living.  You will learn quite a bit more this way (if that is what you are after).  Everyone was young and inexperienced at one time.  Everyone is unique in there own way and has something to offer.  Music is never about absolutes.  I tend to admire musicians that are comfortable with just being themselves.  A genuine person delivers genuine interpretations.

We are in some very interesting times and the quality of the younger generation coming up is astounding.  I listen to the young and ancient alike but I am always amazed at how many come to conclusions.  I have heard many great names of the past play and in instances, if a young player of today would play as poorly they would be quickly stoned and banished to some far away place never to heard of again.  Once a player gets idol status then it seems the mass public can somehow overlook blunders and flaws.

To start my recommendations, I might as well start with one of the younger ones in the crowd.  Jan Lisiecki was born in 1995 and has already demonstrated some very mature playing.  He was 13 years old when he recorded Chopin’s F minor Piano Concerto and 14 years old for the E minor Piano Concerto.  In my opinion, this debut recording is quite stunning. 

Jan will definitely take things slow and will do things on his own terms and in his own time.  Basically, he is the antithesis of a showman and will be more the quite intellectual which suits me just fine.

His Deutsche Grammophon debut with a pair of Mozart Piano Concerto's has recently just been released.

Vassily Primakov was born in 1979 with his early training coming from Moscow's Central Special Music School and then eventually finishing up at the Julliard School in New York.  There is not one thing I have heard from Vassily Primakov that I do not like.  His playing is velvety soft and warm with a bell like tone.  Simply a joy to listen to any of his recordings.  He is not a showman and is relatively still while leaning over the keyboard.   A musician of the highest calibre in my opinion.

Martin Helmchen was born in Berlin in 1982.  Here is another non-demonstrative pianist whose style is just about right for me.  You would expect a very musical focus from a Clara Haskil Competition winner back in 2001.  I especially love his recordings with Julia Fischer and Sharon Kam.  

Benjamin Grosvenor is a UK pianist who was born in 1992.  His Decca debut album actually took me by surprise.  So young, yet you can hear a very strong, confident character in his playing which is full of tonal colour and drive along with even a small amount of flair.  If if can keep outdoing himself it is easy to see that he will do well.

Now back to a pianist who subtly mines and digs for the music and beauty is Inon Barnatan.  Born in Tel Aviv in 1979 he now lives in New York.  Again, the dark, contemplative, or even atmospheric music is where Barnatan will excel.

I would love to go into an in-depth review of each artist to talk about who they are, their playing style or character, what to listen for in their playing etc. but that will obviously never get very far due to limited amount of time in a day.  I also realize that most people only ever want one easily recognized star to play something of interest to them to be satisfied and then they move on.  In the mix, I like to add the relatively unknown underdog.  Often, here is where you will hear music at the grassroots level.  Musicians doing things for the right reasons.  Willing to explore and take chances.

Everything I post here I have in my library.  Generally, if I start with one album of someone I follow them through from their start to the finish.  It is very satisfying to see and hear the growth of an individual over there life.  Certainly, if you enjoy piano music and want to stay closer to the middle then stick with the tried and true.  If you are obsessed with piano music in general then do not be afraid to venture outside of the safe zone.  I think in general one can be amazed at the quality of playing and recording out there available to us.

Ragna Schirmer

Claire-Marie Le Guay

Edna Stern

Simone Dinnerstein

Anna Vinnitskaya

Bertrand Chamayou

David Fray

Cedric Tiberghien

Yevgeny Sudbin

Florian Uhlig

Khatia Buniatishvili

Nino Gvetadze

Mihaela Ursuleasa

Irma Issakadze

Ivana Gavric

Rafal Blechacz

Ingolf Wunder

Jonathan Biss

Yundi Li