DESCRIPTION:
A collection of memorable glissandos from great pianists past and present. It is easier to take a more comprehensive view with such a specific musical element, but nonetheless many other examples (Liszt Mephisto, de Falla Danza del terror, Glissando Mazurkas by Bohm & Lecuona and Bowen Study Op.46 No.5 etc. etc....) have regrettably had to be jettisoned. Since playing a glissando is more a visual gesture (and act of faith in your piano!) rather than a "proper technique" I have included some video footage.

"Use only the nail, either of your thumb or of your index or third finger, without even the tiniest area of flesh"
Liszt

1) Ravel Conc. in G (First mov.), Michelangeli live (1982);

2) Ravel Gaspard de la nuit (Ondine), Michelangeli (1959) 0:13;

3) Ravel Jeux d'eau, Perlemuter (1966) 0:41;

4) Debussy Feux d'artifice (Preludes, Book 2, No.12), Casadesus (1960) 0:52;

5) Debussy Etude No.6 (Pour les huit doigts), Gieseking (1954) 1:03;

6) Debussy Pour le piano (Prelude), Gilels live (1954) 1:10;

7) de Falla Noches en los jardines de Espana (En el Generalife), Curzon (1951) 1:25;

8) Liszt Totentanz, Petri (1936) 2:00;

9) Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.10, Hamelin live (1997) 2:41;

10) Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 (Cadenza: Rachmaninoff), Rachmaninoff (1919) 3:22;

11) Strauss/Tausig Man let nurd einmal, Rachmaninoff (1927) 3:41; (Such elegance!)

12) Tchaikovsky/Feinberg Symphony No.6 (Scherzo), Volodos (1996) 3:58;

13) Stravinsky Petrouchka (Danse Russe), Horowitz (1932) 4:23;

14) Stravinsky Petrouchka (La semaine grasse - 2 excerpts), Pollini (1971) 4:39;

15) Prokofiev Toccata Op.11, Horowitz (1930) 6:19;

16) Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 Op.16 (Third mov.), Cherkassky live (1991) 6:37; (Shura was 82 here and still in fine form giving an atmospheric reading of this concerto.)

17) Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 Op.15 (First mov.), Pollini live (1992) 6:59;

18) Hummel Piano Concerto in A minor Op.85 (First mov.), Hough (1986) 7:17; (...clearly an homage to Beethoven's concerto)

19) Weber Konzertstuck Op.79, Arrau (1946) 7:36;

20-21) Beethoven Waldstein Sonata Op.53 (Finale)
(the interpretation of this passage is actually a bit controversial and pianists like d'Albert, Cziffra, Backhaus and Horowitz play it as normal staccato octaves. Brendel's opinion:
"The only safe method of preserving the pianissimo character of this section without the help of a piano stop lies in imitating the sliding progress of the glissandi by distributing the passages between the hands, while reducing the bass octaves to their lower part.")
Who plays exactly as written in the score? Schnabel (1934) 7:51 or Arrau (1963) 8:11?

22) Beethoven Waldstein Sonata Op.53 (Finale), Arrau live (1983) 8:33; (The answer is clear. Schnabel's suggested splitting of this passage between the two hands can be found in his edition of the sonatas. Rudolf Serkin apparently used to lick his thumb and forefinger before performing these glissandi, although he does not do this in his video from 1965, which sadly cuts away from his hands at the crucial point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4m6gi...)

23) Brahms Paganini Variations Op.35 (Variation 13, Book 1), Michelangeli live (1952) 8:56;

24) Brahms Paganini Variations Op.35 (Variation 13, Book 1), Gilels live (1983) 9:26;

25) Brahms Paganini Variations Op.35 (Variation 13, Book 1), Katchen (1966) 10:01; (The clarity of the accompanying line here is particularly beautiful.)

26) Liszt Paganini Etude No.5, Zecchi (1937) 10:37;

27) Ravel Miroirs (Alborada del gracioso), Richter (1964) 11:14; (apparently Robert Casadesus refused to perform these glissandi in thirds and fourths after witnessing a pianist leaving blood all over the keyboard from playing them...)

28) Ravel Miroirs (Alborada del gracioso), Lipatti (1948) 11:30;

29) Bartok Sonata for two pianos and percussion (Second mov.), Ogdon & Lucas (1965) 11:41; (The American pianist Leonid Hambro solved the problem of the black-key thirds here by using his wallet!)

30) Balakirev Islamey, Barere (1936) 12:04;

31) Chopin Study Op.10 No.5, Rosenthal (1931) 12:20; (The final octaves here played as a double octave glissando - it hurts just thinking about it!)

32) Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 Op.26 (Third mov. - 2 excerpts), Janis (1962) 12:34; (The famous clustered note arpeggios of this concerto are not strictly speaking glissandos but almost sounds like them (which should not excuse some pianists from simplifying these difficult passages as if they were true glissandos).)

and finally

33) Ginastera Piano Sonata No.3, Panizza (2006) 13:19; (This sonata contains perhaps the most bewildering combinations of all sorts of glissandos.)