| Jeremy,
It's a hard question for me to answer because:
Whereas many folks go and pick up the latest recording of this or that guy doing this or that piece, I don't do that so much as I used to. When I was doing it, it seemed to me that so many players sounded the same, musically and soundwise, I sort of lost interest.
The things that impress some folks are not always the same for me and vice versa. When someone has a nice sound, well, they should have a nice sound if they're currently holding a position in a major orchestra. So, I have to look further for things that will move me to say "Now, I like that". I don't buy recordings to hear a player shove every single note that's on the page into my ear like I did when I was studying and for a while after.
So, I've heard enough to say that there are many fine players out there today and each one deserves recognition. And how about players that are wonderful players that don't record as much and are in different countries? No, I'm not willing to confer the heavyweight crown on anybody just yet. And even if I did, it's still just my opinion. Sorry.
ML |