Who are your favorite classical performers?

Well, I'm an absolute sucker for double reed instruments. My favourite musician EVER is Alfredo Bernardini (Baroque oboe) - he is a superb player, and the brilliant director of the Italian baroque ensemble Zefiro. I am madly in love with that man and his musicianship - and I am transfixed by his gorgeous rubbery embouchure!

My favourite Baroque bassoonist (Alberto Grazzi) also plays in Zefiro - wonderful player - wish i could see his embouchure, but unfortunately his lush black beard keeps it all a secret.

My favourite "modern" oboist is the indefatigable Heinz Holliger, and out of all the "modern" bassoonists around, Klaus Thunemann will always be my Number One.

Hafwen x

Percussion: Evelyn Glennie

Piano: Leif Ove Andsnes

Recorders: Pamela Thorby, Michala Petri, Dan Laurin

Harp: Catrin Finch, Marisa Robles, Mariko Anraku

Flute: James Galway, Jean-Pierre Rampal

Guitar: Göran Söllscher, William Carter

Viola da gamba: Jordi Savall, Susanne Heinrich

Violin: Marat Bisengaliev, Pekka Kuusisto, Nicola Benedetti, Rachel Podger

Voice: Bryn Terfel, Thomas Quasthoff, Andreas Scholl, Simon Keenlyside, Elin Manahan Thomas.

Flute - Emmanuel Pahud

Clarinet - Michael Collins

Oboe - Heinz Holliger

Bassoon - George Zukerman

French horn - Radovan Vlatkovic

Percussion - Colin Currie

Piano - Can't choose

Violin - David Oistrakh

Viola - Yuri Bashmet

Cello - Mstislav Rostropovich

Flute... Emmanuel Pahud... Actually my sister is my favorite flutist... I'm rather prejudiced though, she is my sister... She's not quite famous yet though. She's too busy being a mommy... So it's Emmanuel Pahud then...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kvlTTEa1xg

Clarinet... I have no idea... I don't listen to much clairinet...

Oboe... Albrecht Mayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSxD31Yzbx8

Bassoon... Couldn't quite say... I don't listen to much bassoon...

Horn... I don't know...

Percussion... now you're really pushing it... (I'm beggining to wonder why I answered this question.)

Piano... AHA! I can do this one! Way too many to list just one... But I'll list my top three oldies'... Or at least the ones who are dead or old...

Richter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sMbY5vMLk

Zimerman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMDNsmYpzZw

Ashkenazy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzyLWvb7g8I

Now for some newbies... Or younger people...

Leif ove Andsnes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13zFtSoQRc

Sa Chen... (plus she's hot!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsmvq0ZRNR8

Lungansky...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6OlftugZl0

Gulsin Onay...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS6l82A6wyA

Yep... Just some...

I'm gona stop now... Although I know lots of stringests... I'm not that great of a judge...

Why did I answer this...?

--Schumiszt

Is Evelyn Glennie the deaf Scottish percussionist? If so, i agree, awesome musician and very cool lady, saw a TV feature on her.

And for cello (for me), Yo-Yo Ma and Ofra Harnoy.

(my exposure to classical music has not been extensive, but those are the ones who caught my attention!)

Flute: virtually anyone BUT Galway

Clarinet: Artie Shaw

French horn: Dennis brain

Piano; (depends on the repertoire) W.Kempff, John Ogden, amongst others (Glen Gould is terrible)

Violin: Perlman,Grapelli amongst others

Cello; Casals

Its too hard to pick... I dont really like to have favourites anyway. (exccept singers)

At the moment I like to listen to Il Giardino Armonico. (A baroque ensemble)

And my favorite singers are:

Soprano: Sumi Jo (Her technique is flawless. Her acting is bad, but it is so bad that it is funny)

Mezzo-Soprano: Cecilia Bartoli (Her technique is not particularly good, and her coloratura is very guttural, but she is my favourite mezzo-soprano. However, I do not like her singing soprano, as she does something with her voice that allows her to sing in a higher tessitura, and as a result her voice lacks depth and richness in the higher register)

Contralto: Kathleen Ferrier. (I dont really have a reason. I just adore her voice. She had very unusual timbre for a contralto. Apparently this was because she had a very wide throat (?) but I dont know if that is true)

Tenor: Placido Domingo. (I think that he just has such a beautiful voice, it is very lyrical, yet it has so much richness... as for countertenors- I hate them all! I am joking, I do not hate countertenors, I just think their voices are unnatural. If I have to have a fav countertenorm it would be Arturo Escorza)

Baritone: Bryn Terfel (ok I know hes a bass-baritone, but I adore him. His voice is so well suited to Mozart. and I have heard him in Wagner. I think his voice is perhaps not "big" enough but he does well. I also like Dmitri Hvorostovsky. OMG it is 1989 Cardiff again!! As for actual baritones (not bass-baritones) my favourite is Dwayne Croft)

Bass: Alexander Kipnis (How could anybody not love his voice? It is truly stupendous! I love him doing Sarastro...)

EDIT:

ooh, my fav musician, is lutenist Luca Pianca. Awesome!

EDIT:

I think my second favourite mezzo-soprano, and the one that I think is the best, is Giulietta Simionato...

:P

I love Beethoven and Mozart.

I have been playing them for 20 years.

Doesn't answer the question however I wanted to express my love...