Famous pianists you should listen to at least once. Recommended pianists.
Introducing famous pianists you should listen to at least once!
Even people who aren’t into instrumentals often find themselves listening to piano pieces, right?
Unlike the guitar, the piano isn’t an instrument you run through effects, so its tonal individuality can be hard to distinguish—but that also means it appeals to a wide audience.
Here, we’re introducing professional pianists who command the piano as if it were part of their own bodies!
We’ll feature not only international pianists but also Japanese pianists.
The explanations are quite detailed, so even those who regularly listen to classical music should enjoy this!
Now, please sit back and enjoy!
- Masterpiece Performances: Introducing Japan’s World-Renowned Pianists and Their Iconic Performances
- Masterpieces of classical piano that are too beautiful for words. A gathering of delicate tones that cleanse the soul.
- [Piano Variations] A comprehensive showcase of gem-like masterpieces crafted by great composers!
- It’s so cool if you can play these on the piano! A selection of irresistibly charming masterpieces.
- [2026] Jazz piano masterpieces: from standards to recent favorites
- [Ultra-Advanced] Even challenging for advanced players! A curated selection of highly difficult piano pieces
- Jazz Piano Masterpieces: From Classic Essentials to Contemporary Favorites
- [For Intermediate Players] Challenge Yourself! Recommended Masterpieces That Shine at Piano Recitals
- [J-POP] I want to listen to songs with impressive, beautiful piano tones! Recommended piano cover tracks
- [Obituary] Hôko (Hiroko) Nakamura Passes Away: A Collection of Quotes from the International Pianist
- [Classical] Famous Piano Works | Gem-like Masterpieces You’ll Want to Play at Least Once in Your Lifetime
- Famous jazz musicians. Players who have graced the history of jazz.
- Beginner to Intermediate: Chopin pieces with relatively low difficulty. Recommended works by Chopin.
Famous pianists you should listen to at least once. Recommended pianists (61–70)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a pianist and conductor born in the Soviet Union in 1937, with an extremely broad repertoire and a large, highly regarded discography.
He visits Japan frequently.
This work, along with the Second, is among his representative pieces; its premiere took place in 1909 with the composer himself at the piano, and the second performance, in 1910, was with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Mahler.
Schumann: From Scenes from Childhood, “Träumerei”Suzuki Naomi
Naomi Suzuki returned to Japan after a successful career in the United States and is now giving concerts and teaching in Japan.
The piece performed is “Träumerei” from Scenes from Childhood by Robert Schumann, a leading composer of the German Romantic era.
This is footage from her recital at the Togane Cultural Hall.
Schubert: March in G major, Op. 52, No. 2Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin, born in 1903, was a Bohemian-born Jewish pianist.
He gained early fame through collaborations with the great violinist Adolf Busch.
This piece was written by Schubert at the request of his father for a birthday, as a duet to be played by his son and wife; it is relatively easy and a charming march with bright treble sonorities.
It is performed here as a four-hand duet with his son, Peter Serkin, a Steinway Artist.
Chopin: Nocturne No. 13Ani Avramova
Ani Aramova is a Bulgarian pianist.
The piece she performs is Nocturne No.
13 in C minor, Op.
48 No.
1, by Frédéric Chopin, the poet of the piano.
The slow, nostalgic melody at the beginning somehow evokes a Japanese atmosphere.
Stravinsky: PetrushkaKhatia Buniatishvili
Khatia Buniatishvili is a Georgian pianist.
The piece performed is Petrushka by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.
It is one of Stravinsky’s three great ballet scores and tells the story of a straw doll with a body made of sawdust.
The Trio Project: MOVEUehara Hiromi
A jazz pianist from Shizuoka who performs on the world stage.
She began playing piano at the age of six and simultaneously studied composition at Yamaha Music School.
She has achieved remarkable success, including appearing on the cover of the April issue of DownBeat—the most prestigious jazz magazine in the United States—and reaching No.
1 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart in the U.S.
In Japan, her talent has also drawn attention, earning honors such as the Japan Record Awards’ Excellence Album Award.
With her distinctive artistic world and passionate performances that captivate audiences, she is expected to soar to even greater heights internationally.
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21Alicia de Larrocha
Alicia de Larrocha was a Spanish pianist born in 1923.
Renowned as a specialist in Spanish piano music from the 19th and 20th centuries, she possessed small hands with a span of only an octave, yet produced a beautifully lustrous tone and displayed precise technique, offering superb interpretations of Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff.
The second movement of this piece was used in the Swedish film “Elvira Madigan.”