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 (21–30)
List: Piano Works ‘Consolation’ No. 3Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn was an American pianist born in 1934.
In 1958, at just 23 years old, he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition.
His victory at an event held in the Soviet Union during the Cold War instantly made him a national hero in the United States.
Although this piece is usually referred to by its English title, its original title is in French: “Consolations, Six Pensées poétiques.” As the title suggests, it has a calm, soothing character.
List: La CampanellaIngrid Fuzjko Hemming
Ingrid Fuzjko Hemming, a Japanese–Swedish classical pianist, has achieved worldwide acclaim.
She debuted at 17 and later studied at Tokyo University of the Arts.
In 1999, she gained wide attention through an NHK documentary, and her debut CD album, “La Campanella of Miracles,” became an unprecedented hit.
She has received numerous awards, including the Japan Gold Disc Award for Classical Album of the Year.
After losing hearing in her right ear at 16 and later temporarily losing hearing in her left ear, she overcame these hardships and continues to captivate audiences with moving performances.
She is highly recommended for those seeking solace in the sound of the piano or courage to overcome adversity.
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2Sergei Vasil’evich Rachmaninov
Rachmaninoff was a Russian-born pianist, composer, and conductor who was active from the 19th into the 20th century.
While he is highly renowned today as a composer, during his lifetime he gained fame as a pianist performing his own works.
His skill was said to rival that of Liszt, famed for his transcendental virtuosity.
The video features a rare recording of Rachmaninoff performing his own composition, offering one clue to understanding his musical outlook.
Chopin: Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 “Minute (Little Dog) Waltz”Stanislav Bunin
Stanislav Stanislavovich Bunin is a Russian pianist born in 1966.
At just 19, he won an overwhelming victory at the 11th International Chopin Piano Competition, sparking a “Bunin fever” in Japan.
This piece is said to depict a puppy chasing its own tail, and it is also affectionately known as the “Minute Waltz.”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Sonata quasi una fantasia (Moonlight Sonata)”, Movement IIINakamichi Ikuyo
Ikuyo Nakamichi is a pianist born in 1963 in Sendai and raised in Hamamatsu.
Although she often focused on Schumann, she has also begun to play Chopin.
Since the late 1990s, she has planned programs to make classical music more accessible, such as concerts for children and lecture-concerts.
Beethoven himself titled this piece “Sonata in the Style of a Fantasy.”
Chopin: Ballade No. 4Evgeny Kissin
Evgeny Kissin is an Israeli pianist born in 1971 in Moscow to a Jewish family.
He made his debut at age 10 and held his first recital at 11, demonstrating his prodigious talent from an early age.
This piece exhaustively employs Chopin’s compositional techniques and is considered one of his most difficult works to perform.
A hallmark of his late style—the technique of sliding the same finger from a black key to a white key—is used throughout.
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Aria with Diverse Variations for a Two-Manual Harpsichord) Variations 1–7Glenn Gould
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist and composer born in 1932.
He boldly reinterpreted various keyboard works by Bach and left many achievements and recordings in the performance of Bach.
This piece is commonly known as the “Goldberg Variations,” a nickname derived from the anecdote that Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, whom Bach taught, performed it for a count suffering from insomnia.