Sviatoslav Richter. Greatest pianist of the last century?

Seriously, though, I see the value of GOAT questions not so much as a ranking mechanism, which can get a bit too masturbatory for me, but rather as a way of learning from colleagues about great new resources.

I agree and suggest a more effective way to get around the competitive "My guy is better than your guy" dynamic would be to ask a different question: "Who are some of your favorite classical pianists and why?"

Or, "Who are some of your favorite interpreters of Chopin Nocturnes and why?"

My 2 cents.

Yeah, each pianist has his/her strengths and weaknesses. One performer could maybe excel at interpretations of one composer, but no more. Comparing Richter and Horowitz is like comparing apples and oranges: Richter was an enemy of the Soviet state, and was adamantly independent, with very strong and unique interpretations: his dad was killed by the KGB, and he was not allowed to leave the confines of his province until very late in life; Horowitz was the darling of the bureaucrats, and was given all the privileges of the Soviet state throughout his life, including travels to America; consequently, Horowitz was comparatively pedestrian, but could hit all the right notes right on time, smooth as silk, as fast as anyone, but with no real feeling.

“Horowitz was comparatively pedestrian, but could hit all the right notes right on time, smooth as silk, as fast as anyone, but with no real feeling”

The greatness of Horowitz was not only that he “could hit all the right notes right on time, smooth as silk, as fast as anyone…”  but that he was a supreme colorist whose phrasing and understanding of the human condition was unparalleled in my view.  Listen to the Schumann “Traumerei” performed in his “Horowitz in Moscow”  concert and check out the visuals of the audience to know what I’m talking about.

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Yes, classifying Horowitz as pedestrian is so ludicrous that it makes the rest of this discussion nonsensical.  You could love or hate Horowitz, but he was very individual, one of the few pianists that can be reliably identified from brief snippets because he is so distinctive 

All pianists can be reliably identified from brief snippets. That you think otherwise explains much.