His recording, made in Cardiff in 1985, has outsold Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Claudio Abbado and all other contenders.

ECONOMIST: Gilbert Kaplan

Both on stage and in his recordings he's played music ranging from the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms to music by modern masters such as Pierre Boulez, Olivier Messiaen, and Elliott Carter.

NPR: Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the Art of the Etude

In 1973, Aimard won first prize at the Messiaen Competition, and at age 19 he was chosen by Pierre Boulez to become the first solo pianist for the influential new music group, Ensemble InterContemporain.

NPR: Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the Art of the Etude

There were many themes: the link between Schiller and Verdi, the complete songs of Hugo Wolf, the choreography of Hans van Manen, the music of Smetana and of Pierre Boulez, and the Scottish harp in all its forms.

ECONOMIST: Summer festivals