The internationally renowned Italian pianist and conductor Maurizio Pollini has died at the age of 82. This was announced by the opera house in his hometown of Milan, the Teatro alla Scala. The Scala mourns “one of the great musicians of our time”. Pollini also visited Germany a lot. His repertoire included the great classical piano works, but also a lot of contemporary music.
The architect’s son made his breakthrough at the age of 18 when he won the coveted Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1960. The head of the jury at the time, the piano legend Arthur Rubinstein, praised: “This boy plays the piano better than any of us.” He sought further polish from Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, another grand master. The Milanese built a world career on this foundation.
Maurizio Pollini 1978. Archivfoto: imago images/Mary Evans
Icon MaximizeIcon Lightbox Maximize
CloseX signSmall sign that symbolizes an X
Pollini played classical and modern music – on different stages
Critics described his style as unsentimental and intense, perfect and unique, clear and brilliant. Piano concertos, sonatas and ballads by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven, solo or in an orchestra – this was one side of Pollini. Over the decades he also expanded his program to include contemporary works: Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez.
Pollini also played in sports centers and factory halls. In 1976 he was even named the “best pianist in the world” in a critics’ survey. At the Scala, his home stage, he appeared no fewer than 168 times over the decades. He gave his last concert there in February last year. Anyone who knows how to appreciate a Beethoven quartet is probably also able to follow contemporary music – according to this motto, Pollini put together many of his concert evenings.
Even if some critics sometimes lacked expressiveness and tension, Pollini always set new accents. He has also received numerous awards over the decades, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the Echo Klassik for his life’s work.