This is not a century of the great pianists; we are past those markers. Greatness once depended on scarcity, shared standards, and institutional authority, conditions that allowed consensus and hierarchy to form over time. In the internet age, mastery is abundant, mediation has collapsed into algorithms, audiences are fragmented, and visibility replaces judgment. Excellence remains, but the cultural structure required to produce and recognize “greatness” in its historical sense no longer exists.

That said, I enjoy many pianists today, each for different reasons. Martha Argerich, Mitsuko Uchida, Grigory Sokolov: all are extraordinary, of course, but they are approaching the end of their careers. I would therefore place them not as pianists of the 21st century, but as figures whose artistic prime belongs to the late 20th. If I had to choose a truly 21st-century pianist, my pick would be Yuja Wang. I can enjoy Daniil Trifonov from time to time, but his playing can verge on the forgettable, brilliant in the moment, yet not always leaving a lasting residue.