Is Liszt the greatest pianist of all time?

[wanderer]

Well, no doubt that Liszt was the greatest pianist during his time (and maybe until now). But why did his contemporaries say that "you should listen to Chopin"?

[Pianoman1992]

I think it was because Liszt could only seem to play with bravura and only play loud and quick cadenza type pieces. Who ever made that statement you are referring to probably meant that Chopin shows people both sides of the piano. Rarely is Liszt's music sentimental like Chopin's, both in composing and how they played. If you determine how good a pianist is by how loud and quickly they play (like many people who know nothing about music quickly assume), then Liszt is far superior. However, I truly feel that Chopin was able to produce nearly every kind of sound and take everything from the piano, and therefore is really a better pianist than Liszt. Just goes to show that show-offs aren't always better.

[Dean]

Well it's an interesting point of view, what you wrote.
Chopin himself liked Liszt as a pianist (I know that he adored the way Liszt played Chopin's etudes. He dedicated his etudes op. 10 to Liszt).
So Liszt may was also a deep pianist and not only a virtouso, altough he is far less quality as a composer than Chopin, and mainly Show-off composer. Of course he wrote also great pieces such as Sonata in B minor (same key like Chopin's 3rd sonata which is a masterpieces).

[Fantasy]

"Chopin has more soul in his fingertips than Liszt has from head to toe." - Mendelssohn


  enough said

[Pianoman1992]

That quote is amazing! If I were Liszt, though, I'd be pretty jealous and pissed off 

Seriously, though, that quote is so true. Even the shortest Chopin prelude or mazurka exudes more emotion and heart than the most extensive of Liszt pieces. There are a few Liszt pieces I like, such as the first Mephisto Waltz, but overall I find that Liszt, and not Chopin, is the one whose music is weak. A great technical pianist he may have been, but he was mostly fluff, and had no real substance.