[E-rock]

Originally Posted by Garypez

All classical pianist in the world know that Franz Liszt was the best of all time pianist.

i would agree becuase i love his work but he didnt even write his own music. he stole it all off of gypsies which would make me look towards motzart...however, my favorite of today is tim rice-oxley. i think i spelled his name remotely close =)

[Rainer.]

I would also like to add Leonard Bernstein to my list.


Though Bill Evans is still tops.

[Mattlock]

Dave Brubeck

[MrCrabby]

Originally Posted by E-rock

i would agree becuase i love his work but he didnt even write his own music. he stole it all off of gypsies which would make me look towards motzart...however, my favorite of today is tim rice-oxley. i think i spelled his name remotely close =)

?

Looks like you need to read up on your music history. Franz Liszt was an incredibly prolific and original composer. Many (if not all) composers use folk melodies as motives for their works. Smetana, Bartok, Copland...yeah. Liszt also wrote realizations and orchestrations for previously composed works by people like Beethoven and Schubert. In fact, nowadays, Liszt's versions are typically what you hear performed, Schubert's Erlkönig, for example.

[play/crk\th/sky]

Well...this is really tough.
For classic - Mozart, Bach.
For keyboard/synth - Jeff Frankenstein
For awesome - Ben Folds, period.

[metropolis4]

Liszt is just unbelievable... watch this one: Van Cliburn plays Hungarian Rhapsody #12 things start to just get insane around 8:30

Edit: Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, anyone?
Opus Clavicembalisticum Yes this is real. The entire piece is 4 hours long and is considered by many to be the single most difficult piece of music ever written for any instrument. It has only been performed publicly a few times and most of those have been criticized for watering it down a lot.