The great classical music performers Europe
Rubinstein or Heifetz? Lisitsa or Jansen? It is difficult for inquiring minds to tackle a field as large and diverse as classical music, covering 10 centuries of history: there are uncountable numbers of classical music performers in the world. Making a selection of musicians, such as a “top 10” for example, is a difficult and subjective exercise. A musical selection is often the expression of personal preferences or artistic opinions, very interesting but also very different according to critics or musicologists, or simply influenced by the context: will an English performer/musician not be instinctively privileged by an English critic?
For example: in Canada, Marc-André Hamelin, a Quebec pianist and composer, is at least as popular as the German violinist Anne-Sofie Mutter, who is more internationally renowned.
Timeline of classical musicians in Europe
Whoever wants to discover classical music does not always have an experienced music lover, an expert or an educator at his or her side to support and guide him or her in this field. So : Rubinstein (Polish-American classical pianist (1887-1982)) or Heifetz (Russian-American violinist (1901–1987)) ? Barenboim (Israeli Argentine-born pianist and conductor) or Menuhin (American violinist and conductor (1916–1999)) ? However, the knowledge available about musicians is enormous. It was processed to select the 10, 25, 50... most popular performers around the world, for those living or having lived en Europe, . And this objectively, and for the first time (soclassiq exclusivity).
Performers rendered as a timeline to bring a little perspective:
.
ComposersConductorsLyrical singersPerformersT 2024
This timeline is interactive to navigate through the ages or across continents (with ).
Why are all these composers included in this timeline?
Many composers have also been concert performers or conductors, although their fame is associated with their work today. On the other hand, some conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Georg Solti ... or musicians such as Martha Argerich, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould ... have also composed. Itzhak Perlman, David Oïstrakh... very well known as concert performers, have also conducted orchestras. Others, such as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, William Christie ..., are renowned as much for their careers as composers, conductors and performers.
Top 10 classical musicians in Europe
Who are these greatest performers, the most famous over the 1880-2020 era in Europe? The carreer of these musician has marked the history of classical music. There are those you probably know, or at least by name and the others.
Here are these 10 performers, renowned artists from around the world:
The musicians and artists who also composed were removed from this ranking.
The selections of musicians (performers) proposed by soclassiq are based exclusively on algorithms. The same applies to the composers, their works, the lyrical singers, les orchestras, the conductors and the venues : opera houses, concert halls or festivals.
What about the others? 25, 50 or more?
Summarizing to 10 musician names such a wide and diverse field may seem extreme or too simplistic for those who know classical music well, for those who can easily name 50 or more classical music performers. Jansons, Schwarzkopf, Belkina, Oistrakh, Gilels, Ludwig, Callas...
At this time, soclassiq has listed more than 13000 performers. So here is a selection of some performers for the years 1880-2020, in Europe, widely recognized around the world:
Note:
- This selection may include highly reputed artists and musicians who have occasionally devoted themselves to classical music and not exclusively.
- It may also include performers who have been or are composers, some more renowned for the work they have left than for their careers as musicians.
Claudio Abbado The great classical music performers
1933-2014 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Theodor W. Adorno The great classical music performers
1903-1969 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Isaac Albéniz The great classical music performers
1860-1909 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Ernest Ansermet The great classical music performers
1883-1969 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Vladimir Ashkenazy The great classical music performers
age 86 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leopold von Auer The great classical music performers
1845-1930 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Mily Balakirev The great classical music performers
1836-1910 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Daniel Barenboim The great classical music performers
age 81 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
John Barry The great classical music performers
1933-2011 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Béla Bartók The great classical music performers
1881-1945 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Lena Belkina The great classical music performers
age 36 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alban Berg The great classical music performers
1885-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Luciano Berio The great classical music performers
1925-2003 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Andrea Bocelli The great classical music performers
age 65 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Alexander Borodin The great classical music performers
1833-1887 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Nadia Boulanger The great classical music performers
1887-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Pierre Boulez The great classical music performers
1925-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Johannes Brahms The great classical music performers
1833-1897 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Benjamin Britten The great classical music performers
1913-1976 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Anton Bruckner The great classical music performers
1824-1896 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Ole Bull The great classical music performers
1810-1880 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Hans von Bülow The great classical music performers
1830-1894 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Khatia Buniatishvili The great classical music performers
age 36 (20th century)
Performer
Ferruccio Busoni The great classical music performers
1866-1924 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Maria Callas The great classical music performers
1923-1977 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Pau Casals The great classical music performers
1876-1973 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Alfredo Casella The great classical music performers
1883-1947 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Emmanuel Chabrier The great classical music performers
1841-1894 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Ernest Chausson The great classical music performers
1855-1899 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Boris Christoff The great classical music performers
1914-1993 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Francesco Cilea The great classical music performers
1866-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Alfred Cortot The great classical music performers
1877-1962 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
György Cziffra The great classical music performers
1921-1994 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Eugen d'd'Albert The great classical music performers
1864-1932 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Luigi Dallapiccola The great classical music performers
1904-1975 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Peter Maxwell Davies The great classical music performers
1934-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Claude Debussy The great classical music performers
1862-1918 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Léo Delibes The great classical music performers
1836-1891 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Leonardo de De Lorenzo The great classical music performers
1875-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ernő von Dohnányi The great classical music performers
1877-1960 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Paul Dukas The great classical music performers
1865-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Marcel Dupré The great classical music performers
1886-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Antonín Dvořák The great classical music performers
1841-1904 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
George Enescu The great classical music performers
1881-1955 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Manuel de Falla The great classical music performers
1876-1946 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Gabriel Fauré The great classical music performers
1845-1924 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Julia Fischer The great classical music performers
age 40 (20th century)
Performer
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau The great classical music performers
1925-2012 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
César Franck The great classical music performers
1822-1890 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Wilhelm Furtwängler The great classical music performers
1886-1954 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Niels Gade The great classical music performers
1817-1890 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Aida Garifullina The great classical music performers
age 36 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Emil Gilels The great classical music performers
1916-1985 (20th century)
Performer
Alexander Glazunov The great classical music performers
1865-1936 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Sofiä Ğobäydullinä The great classical music performers
age 92 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henryk Górecki The great classical music performers
1933-2010 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Charles Gounod The great classical music performers
1818-1893 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Enrique Granados The great classical music performers
1867-1916 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Edvard Grieg The great classical music performers
1843-1907 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Edita Gruberová The great classical music performers
1946-2021 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Ida Haendel The great classical music performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Performer
Bernard Haitink The great classical music performers
1929-2021 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Uzeyir Hajibeyov The great classical music performers
1885-1948 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nikolaus Harnoncourt The great classical music performers
1929-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Clara Haskil The great classical music performers
1895-1960 (20th century)
Performer
Jascha Heifetz The great classical music performers
1901-1987 (20th century)
Performer
Paul Hindemith The great classical music performers
1895-1963 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Gustav Holst The great classical music performers
1874-1934 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Arthur Honegger The great classical music performers
1892-1955 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Vladimir Horowitz The great classical music performers
1903-1989 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The great classical music performers
1840-1893 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leoš Janáček The great classical music performers
1854-1928 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Janine Jansen The great classical music performers
age 46 (20th century)
Performer
Mariss Jansons The great classical music performers
1943-2019 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Joseph Joachim The great classical music performers
1831-1907 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Dmitri Kabalevsky The great classical music performers
1904-1986 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Aram Khachaturian The great classical music performers
1903-1978 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Wojciech Kilar The great classical music performers
1932-2013 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Evgeny Kissin The great classical music performers
age 52 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Zoltán Kodály The great classical music performers
1882-1967 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leonid Kogan The great classical music performers
1924-1982 (20th century)
Performer
Erich Wolfgang Korngold The great classical music performers
1897-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Fritz Kreisler The great classical music performers
1875-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Gidon Kremer The great classical music performers
age 77 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Wanda Landowska The great classical music performers
1879-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Alicia de Larrocha The great classical music performers
1923-2009 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ruggero Leoncavallo The great classical music performers
1857-1919 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Gustav Leonhardt The great classical music performers
1928-2012 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Borys Liatoshynsky The great classical music performers
1895-1968 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
György Ligeti The great classical music performers
1923-2006 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Jenny Lind The great classical music performers
1820-1887 (Romantic)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Dinu Lipatti The great classical music performers
1917-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Valentina Lisitsa The great classical music performers
age 53 (20th century)
Performer
Franz Liszt The great classical music performers
1811-1886 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Paco de Lucía The great classical music performers
1947-2014 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Christa Ludwig The great classical music performers
1928-2021 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Witold Lutosławski The great classical music performers
1913-1994 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Yo-Yo Ma The great classical music performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Peter Machajdík The great classical music performers
age 62 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Gustav Mahler The great classical music performers
1860-1911 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Mischa Maisky The great classical music performers
age 76 (20th century)
Performer
Clint Mansell The great classical music performers
age 61 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Neville Marriner The great classical music performers
1924-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Bohuslav Martinů The great classical music performers
1890-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Jules Massenet The great classical music performers
1842-1912 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Yehudi Menuhin The great classical music performers
1916-1999 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Olivier Messiaen The great classical music performers
1908-1992 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Darius Milhaud The great classical music performers
1892-1974 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Nathan Milstein The great classical music performers
1902-1992 (20th century)
Performer
Ennio Morricone The great classical music performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Moritz Moszkowski The great classical music performers
1854-1925 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Yevgeny Mravinsky The great classical music performers
1903-1988 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Riccardo Muti The great classical music performers
age 83 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Anne-Sophie Mutter The great classical music performers
age 60 (20th century)
Performer
Nikolai Myaskovsky The great classical music performers
1881-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Heinrich Neuhaus The great classical music performers
1888-1964 (20th century)
Performer
Carl Nielsen The great classical music performers
1865-1931 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Arthur Nikisch The great classical music performers
1855-1922 (Romantic)
Conductor & Performer
Luigi Nono The great classical music performers
1924-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Jacques Offenbach The great classical music performers
1819-1880 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
David Oistrakh The great classical music performers
1908-1974 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Carl Orff The great classical music performers
1895-1982 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Ignacy Jan Paderewski The great classical music performers
1860-1941 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arvo Pärt The great classical music performers
age 88 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Krzysztof Penderecki The great classical music performers
1933-2020 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky The great classical music performers
1839-1881 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Maria João Pires The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Performer
Maurizio Pollini The great classical music performers
age 82 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Amilcare Ponchielli The great classical music performers
1834-1886 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Francis Poulenc The great classical music performers
1899-1963 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jacqueline du Pré The great classical music performers
1945-1987 (20th century)
Performer
Zbigniew Preisner The great classical music performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Sergei Prokofiev The great classical music performers
1891-1953 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Giacomo Puccini The great classical music performers
1858-1924 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Sergei Rachmaninoff The great classical music performers
1873-1943 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jean-Pierre Rampal The great classical music performers
1922-2000 (20th century)
Performer
Simon Rattle The great classical music performers
age 69 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Maurice Ravel The great classical music performers
1875-1937 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Max Reger The great classical music performers
1873-1916 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Ottorino Respighi The great classical music performers
1879-1936 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Sviatoslav Richter The great classical music performers
1915-1997 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
André Rieu The great classical music performers
age 74 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov The great classical music performers
1844-1908 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Mstislav Rostropovich The great classical music performers
1927-2007 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nino Rota The great classical music performers
1911-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Miklós Rózsa The great classical music performers
1907-1995 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nikolai Rubinstein The great classical music performers
1835-1881 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Anton Rubinstein The great classical music performers
1829-1894 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Arthur Rubinstein The great classical music performers
1887-1982 (20th century)
Performer
Camille Saint-Saëns The great classical music performers
1835-1921 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Pablo de Sarasate The great classical music performers
1844-1908 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Erik Satie The great classical music performers
1866-1925 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jordi Savall The great classical music performers
age 82 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Wolfgang Sawallisch The great classical music performers
1923-2013 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Adolphe Sax The great classical music performers
1814-1894 (Romantic)
Performer
András Schiff The great classical music performers
age 70 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Alfred Schnittke The great classical music performers
1934-1998 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arnold Schoenberg The great classical music performers
1874-1951 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Clara Schumann The great classical music performers
1819-1896 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf The great classical music performers
1915-2006 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Renata Scotto The great classical music performers
1933-2023 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alexander Scriabin The great classical music performers
1872-1915 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Andrés Segovia Torres The great classical music performers
1893-1987 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Rodion Shchedrin The great classical music performers
age 91 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Dmitri Shostakovich The great classical music performers
1906-1975 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jean Sibelius The great classical music performers
1865-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Bedřich Smetana The great classical music performers
1824-1884 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Georg Solti The great classical music performers
1912-1997 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Charles Villiers Stanford The great classical music performers
1852-1924 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Karlheinz Stockhausen The great classical music performers
1928-2007 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leopold Stokowski The great classical music performers
1882-1977 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Richard Strauss The great classical music performers
1864-1949 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Johann Strauss II The great classical music performers
1825-1899 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Igor Stravinsky The great classical music performers
1882-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Josef Suk The great classical music performers
1874-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arthur Sullivan The great classical music performers
1842-1900 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Johan Svendsen The great classical music performers
1840-1911 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Georgy Sviridov The great classical music performers
1915-1998 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Valentyn Sylvestrov The great classical music performers
age 86 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henryk Szeryng The great classical music performers
1918-1988 (20th century)
Performer
Władysław Szpilman The great classical music performers
1911-2000 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Karol Szymanowski The great classical music performers
1882-1937 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Francisco Tárrega The great classical music performers
1852-1909 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Yann Tiersen The great classical music performers
age 53 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Arturo Toscanini The great classical music performers
1867-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Vanessa Vanessa-Mae The great classical music performers
age 45 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ralph Vaughan Williams The great classical music performers
1872-1958 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Giuseppe Verdi The great classical music performers
1813-1901 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Pauline Viardot The great classical music performers
1821-1910 (Romantic)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Louis Vierne The great classical music performers
1870-1937 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henri Vieuxtemps The great classical music performers
1820-1881 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Richard Wagner The great classical music performers
1813-1883 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Émile Waldteufel The great classical music performers
1837-1915 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
William Walton The great classical music performers
1902-1983 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Anton Webern The great classical music performers
1883-1945 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Kurt Weill The great classical music performers
1900-1950 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Charles-Marie Widor The great classical music performers
1844-1937 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Henryk Wieniawski The great classical music performers
1835-1880 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Eugène Ysaÿe The great classical music performers
1858-1931 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Hans Zimmer The great classical music performers
age 66 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
See also...
Timelines : Performers
- The great classical music performers
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [II.] (1950 - 2000)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [I.] (1900 - 1950)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 19th-century performers (1850 - 1900)
Indexes
- All performers : by instrument * by country
- by alphabetical order : A * B * C * D * E * F * G * H * I * J * K * L * M * N * O * P * Q * R * S * T * U * V * W * X * Y * Z
- Young artists (Performers)
Other timelines
- Composers : 10 centuries of classical music
- The great classical music conductors
- The great lyrical singers
Commemorations 2024, 2025, ...
Last update : 2024-03-10