Abbey Simon, an American pianist celebrated for a style that harked back to an earlier, golden age of keyboard prowess, died on Wednesday at his home in Geneva. He was 99.

His death was announced by his son, Jonathan.

Mr. Simon, who had appeared on concert stages around the world since the early 1940s, was often called a pianist’s pianist — greatly admired by musicians and critics if not strictly a household name. Known in particular for his interpretations of the Romantic literature, he was lauded for the fleetness of his fingers, the lightness of his tone and the thoughtfulness of his interpretations.

“Poetry, musicianship and technique have characterized Abbey Simon’s piano playing since his debut nine years ago,” Ross Parmenter wrote in The New York Times in 1949, reviewing a concert by Mr. Simon of Bach, Brahms, Chopin and Ravel. “On the basis of his recital last night at Carnegie Hall, one would add a fourth attribute, mastery.”

Although some critics faulted Mr. Simon’s playing for being overly cerebral, most concurred that in his pianism and choice of repertoire he recalled late-19th and early-20th-century virtuosos like Josef Hofmann, who had been his teacher. The style of both men was breathtakingly pyrotechnic yet no less sensitive for it — in stark contrast to the more bombastic approach that came to be regarded as a hallmark of many younger pianists.