{"id":50140,"date":"2024-11-30T17:55:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T16:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/d20bce8f-5bec-4286-ac68-90f71670bfa3"},"modified":"2024-11-30T18:09:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T17:09:21","slug":"best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Best virtuosos: seven of the most astoundingly talented musicians we’d love to have seen live"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Saturday, 30 November 2024 at 16:55 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Virtuosity is the highest standard of musical technique and performance, a skill only truly attained by a handful of exceptionally talented musicians. Below, the BBC Music Magazine team <\/em>look back on some of the greatest virtuosos from over the centuries, and choose the musical magicians we wish we’d seen play.<\/p>

Browse our Artists<\/a> section for hundreds of interviews and profiles of everyone from Martha Argerich<\/a> to Yo-Yo Ma<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul>
The best virtuosos of all time<\/h2>
Organist Virgil Fox (1912-80)<\/strong><\/h3> The American organist Virgil Fox had it all \u2013 charisma, showmanship, exceptional technique, great musicianship and a seemingly inexhaustible love of touring. Granted, his interpretations weren\u2019t always to everyone\u2019s taste, but his Bach<\/strong><\/a> playing was meticulous and his performance of the \u2018grand\u2019 repertoire never less than exhilarating. <\/strong>Oliver Condy, former editor<\/em><\/p>

<\/div> <\/figure> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/five-facts-about-royal-albert-hall-organ\/\"><strong>Five facts about the Royal Albert Hall organ<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-most-unusual-pipe-organs-in-the-world\/\">The most unusual pipe organs in the world<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pianist-earl-wild-1915-2010\"><strong>Pianist Earl Wild (1915-2010)<\/strong><\/h3> <p>I had the privilege of interviewing the US pianist <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/earl-wild-obituary\">Earl Wild<\/a><\/strong> late on in his life but, alas, never had the chance to see him play live. I was first made aware of his brilliance when a friend recommended his thrilling performances of the four <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/sergey-rachmaninov\/\"><strong>Rachmaninov<\/strong><\/a> piano concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Jascha Horenstein, recorded in 1965 \u2013 they remain my favourite recordings to this day.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/20-greatest-pianists-all-time\">The 20 greatest pianists of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Wild was an exceptionally gifted pianist: at the age of three he was already playing selected melodies\u00a0from opera\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-overture\">overtures<\/a><\/strong>. He had some great teachers, too, including Paul Dogureau (who had learned from\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/maurice-ravel\">Ravel<\/a><\/strong>) and Egon Petri, a pupil of\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/busoni-ferruccio\">Busoni<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> <p>Blessed with a peerless technique, his repertoire was wide-ranging, taking in everything from Bach to jazz, plus his own masterful transcriptions and other compositions. It was, perhaps, that sense of spontaneity that goes with playing jazz that made his live performances of classical music so fresh and exciting? I\u2019ll simply have to take others\u2019 word for it.<em> Jeremy Pound, deputy editor<\/em><\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EARL WILD PLAYS AGAIN LISZT "THE VIRTUOSO" LIVE 1986\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6WTOIZN9Mrg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/emil-gilels-pianist\/\"><strong>Emil Gilels: a guide to the famous Soviet pianist and his best recordings<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pianist-frederic-chopin-1810-1849\"><strong>Pianist Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chopin (1810-1849)<\/strong><\/h3> <p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/franz-liszt\">Liszt<\/a><\/strong> may loom large in the modern imagination as the great piano whizz of his age, but if I had a time machine to take me back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/best-romantic-composers\/\"><strong>Romantic era<\/strong><\/a>, it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/frederic-chopin\/\"><strong>Chopin<\/strong><\/a> I would really like to hear.<\/p> <p>By all accounts, his own playing was all about beautiful sound, the singing voice, intimacy and eloquence. To hear him play his own remarkable piano works must have been quite something.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-new__article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/female-pianists\/\">5 pioneering women pianists<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Fellow pianist-composer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/robert-schumann\/\"><strong>Robert Schumann<\/strong><\/a> noted down what his feelings on it were: \u2018It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams, to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream.\u2019<\/p> <p><em>Rebecca Franks, former managing editor<\/em><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More of the greatest virtuosos we wish we’d heard<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987)<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Often called the ‘Violinist of the Century’, Jascha Heifetz combined a beautiful, silken tone with a flawless technique. His performances of the violin concertos of Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Sibelius set a 20th-century standard for violin playing.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-violin-concertos\">The greatest violin concertos of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Born a year into the 20th century in Vilnius, Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire), Heifetz was a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/musical-prodigies\">child prodigy<\/a><\/strong>. He began playing the violin at the age of 3: by 7, he was ready to study at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.<\/p> <p>The young Heifetz gave his public debut at age 7 and performed with the legendary <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/berlin-philharmonic\">Berlin Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, then as now one of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/worlds-best-orchestras\">world’s greatest orchestras<\/a><\/strong>, at the tender age of 11. At 16, he made an acclaimed American debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1917.<\/p> <p>Heiftez’s violin playing was blessed with a captivating mix of emotional intensity and complete technical mastery. Have a listen to this incredible performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto:<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jascha Heifetz plays Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto: 1st mov.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kFaq9kTlcaY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>He was also a keen performer of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/chamber-music\">chamber music<\/a><\/strong>, often collaborating with cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and pianist Arthur Rubinstein.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007)<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Anyone who saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/mstislav-rostropovich\"><strong>Rostropovich<\/strong><\/a> in action was incredibly lucky. He could breathe new fire into the most familiar repertoire and inspired some of the 20th century\u2019s greatest composers to write new works. Just imagine being at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/dmitri-shostakovich\/\"><strong>Shostakovich<\/strong><\/a> or Prokofiev premiere.<\/p> <p>Rostropovich’s large, sculpted hands were a perfect fit for the cello. He was also, famously, gifted with a brilliant memory, which he trained hard. result: he was able to memorise music instantly, and could perform everything (including new works) without the music. He famously learned\u00a0Shostakovich\u2019s Cello Concerto No. 1 from memory in just three days.<\/p> <p><em>Michael Beek, reviews editor<\/em><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/mstislav-rostropovich-essential-recordings\">Rostropovich: the greatest recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-cello-concertos-of-all-time\">The greatest cello concertos of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rostropovich, Shostakovich Cello Concerto no.1\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h23WjKXDe4w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pianist Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Anyone with a hand span of over an octave, giving them the ability to reach eye-watering intervals, is always going to be worth a watch. Rachmaninov\u2019s 13-note spread marked him out in the piano world, but perhaps what made him a legend were his clear, crisp textures, incredible technique and voicing.<\/p> <p>He also had an awe-inspiring memory, and was reportedly able to hear a piece of music as large-scale as a symphony, and play it the next day.<\/p> <p>Both precise and drivingly propulsive, Rachmaninov’s playing style somewhat resembled that of his compatriot and contemporary <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/sergey-prokofiev\">Prokofiev<\/a><\/strong>. The difference is perhaps that, where Prokofiev’s style could be almost motoric, Rachmaninov’s was more like an tidal wave of emotion.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-rachmaninovs-piano-concerto-no-2\/\"><strong>The best recordings of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>His tonal quality was also little short of spellbinding. Listen to Rachmaninov performing the opening bars of his own G flat major Prelude: it’s simple, almost limpid music, yet you can sense the presence of some extraordinary emotional and lyrical talent. Few other pianists could phrase the repeated chord pattern in the right hand with such suppleness, all while bringing intense focus to the left-hand <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melody<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p> <p><em>Freya Parr, former editorial assistant<\/em><\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rachmaninoff plays Piano Concerto 2\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pBx-tr1FDvY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Violinist Ginette Neveu (1919-1949)<\/strong><\/h3> <p>It’s difficult to say exactly how big an impact the French violinist Ginette Neveu might have had on the 20th century classical landscape, had she lived long enough, As it was, she died, tragically, at the age of just 30, in a plane crash (the tragedy also took the life of the French boxer Marcel Cerdan, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-was-edith-piaf\">Edith Piaf<\/a><\/strong>‘s lover). In the short career she was able to enjoy, Neveu nonetheless emerged as one of the 20th century’s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/20-greatest-violinists-ever\">greatest violinists<\/a><\/strong> of the 20th century, standing out for her deep musicality, technical excelence and perhaps above all, her passionate interpretations.<\/p> <p>Neveu came from a musical background: the great-niece of the organist and composer Charles-Marie Widor, she learned from a variety of illustrious music teachers including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/george-enescu\"><strong>George Enescu<\/strong><\/a>, Nadia Boulanger and Carl Flesch. She made her public debut at the age of seven, and at 15 won the prestigious Henryk Wieniawski Competition, pushing a certain David Oistrakh into second place.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li>Nadia Boulanger is one of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/five-music-teachers-who-changed-the-face-of-western-classical-music\">five music teachers who changed the face of western classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>I am entranced by Ginette Neveu’s passionate, idiomatic performance of my very favourite violin concerto, that by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/jean-sibelius\">Sibelius<\/a><\/strong>. Have a listen below.<\/p> <p>Alongside the Sibelius, Ginette Neveu can be heard at her best in French repertoire, including\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/francis-poulenc\">Poulenc<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Violin Sonata and the lyrical Po\u00e8me by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/chausson-ernest\">Ernest Chausson<\/a><\/strong>. The story goes that, when Neveu’s body was recovered after the crash, she was still clutching her beloved\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-stradivarius\/\"><strong>Stradivarius<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in her arms.<\/p> <p><em>Steve Wright, multi-platform content provider<\/em><\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ginette Neveu -Sibelius Violin Concerto, 1rst mvt (1946)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7Oy24SIvesg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Saturday, 30 November 2024 at 16:55 PM Virtuosity is the highest standard of musical technique and performance, a skill only truly attained by a handful of exceptionally talented musicians. Below, the BBC Music Magazine team look back on some of the greatest virtuosos from over the centuries, and choose the musical magicians we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":50141,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/best-virtuosos-seven-of-the-most-astoundingly-talented-musicians-wed-love-to-have-seen-live.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Saturday, 30 November 2024 at 16:55 PM Virtuosity is the highest standard of musical technique and performance, a skill only truly attained by a handful of exceptionally talented musicians. Below, the BBC Music Magazine team look back on some of the greatest virtuosos from over the centuries, and choose the musical magicians we…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/50140"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}