ROMA.- He Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, a virtuoso interpreter of Chopin and Beethoven, died today – March 23 – at the age of 82, announced the Teatro de La Scala in Milan.
La Scala described the pianist as one of the great musicians and a fundamental reference in the artistic life of the theater for more than 50 years.
From 1958 until his last recital in February 2023, Pollini played at La Scala 168 times, not including countless workshops with students and lectures.
“Pollini was an interpreter capable of revolutionizing the perception of composers such as Chopin, Debussy and Beethoven himself, and of promoting… listening to the historical avant-garde, especially Schnberg, and current music,” La Scala stressed.
In recent years Maurizio Pollini had been in poor health and had been forced to cancel some concerts.
life of the pianist
Born on January 5, 1942 in Milan, into a family of artists, Pollini burst onto the classical music scene in 1960, when, at 18 years old and the youngest in the competition, he won the Chopin Competition. Warsaw.
Arthur Rubinstein, president of the jury, said that the young prodigy already played better than any of them.
Half a century later, Pollini corrected Rubinstein’s quote by saying: “He played technically better than any of the members of the jury.”
“I always thought he said it to make fun of his fellow jurors. Someone doctored that phrase by technically removing the and it became an exaggerated compliment,” Pollini said in a 2014 documentary.
Instead of embarking directly on the concert scene, Pollini put his career aside to study, explaining that playing right away would have been a little premature for him.
In the late 1960s, the musician participated in improvised concerts in factories and programs for students and workers at La Scala, directed by his friend Claudio Abbado.
Pollini made his first tour in the United States in 1968.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, he made a series of recordings with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label, while maturing to become an acclaimed interpreter of Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms.
Pollini’s albums have won numerous awards, including a Grammy in 2007 for Best Solo Instrumental Performance (without Orchestra) for Chopin: Nocturnes.
He is survived by his son and his wife.
FUENTE: AFP
