Who is the best classical pianist alive?

Why always this puberty like best - fastest - highest? This may work in sports but never in art!!
I agree to your above list but I think the following are missing: Hélène Grimaud, Lang Lang, Volodos, Uchida, Brendel, Hough, Lewis.......and some more.
Whether Pollini is the best depends on the music - f.e. NOBODY plays the Schumann concerto like Grimaud and NOBODY plays Tschaikowsky 1st like Lang Lang. The question if this is THE BEST is obsolete because as I said above - art is above such measures.

My vote goes to Krystian Zimerman. At least he's my favorite of those performing today. I wish he recorded more.

Check out Eldar.
He is 18 and I think he is or will be best pianist alive. Sony records put him on Sony classical but he is playing jazz right now. I saw him live at skullers in Boston with a pianist friend that trained at berkley, He said how can I ever play piano again after seeing what he can do...

http://www.eldarjazz.com/

Mark

I saw Eldar and he is a prodigy at his age, but he certainly has a ways to go to be the best. He's ahead of the game though - very amazing at his age. Plays classical and several forms of jazz, but he's a jazz guy.

Earl Wild or Howard Shelley