Question: I am amused by the story of Beethoven dueling another composer in Vienna, in which he takes the other composer's music, puts it upside down, and proceeds to humiliate him. I feel as though keyboardists with that kind of talent must exist nowadays, but they are perhaps not as popular as they once were.

Do we have such "Rockstar" pianists in the modern age? Who are they?

Answer: 
Keep in mind that the Beethoven "duel" is legend. By legend I don't mean that it didn't happen, only that it's one of those famous stories passed down through the generations, and stories like that only come along once or twice in a lifetime.

We certainly still have "rock star" pianists today that you might want to check out:

* [Lang Lang](https://youtu.be/jYO9gTmCJTE?t=7m46s)
* [Denis Matsuev](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tdBFx37Mps)
* [Yuja Wang](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alxBofd_eQ)
* And one example from an earlier era: [Sviatoslav Richter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ-NAgDpRVs)

And there's something to be said about someone that uses their encore to play [that piece that all the six year olds learn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTVF8e5pbNY).
[Jordan Rudess](http://www.jordanrudess.com/) (Dream Theater) is an impressive keyboarder and a true wizard, maybe not quite as famous as Beethoven. He's not only an accomplished piano virtuoso, he's also constantly pushing the boundaries of his instrument, e.g. by controlling and designing sounds in innovative ways such as with the Haken Continuum and his iPad apps.