Maurizio Pollini

(1942-2024)

Perhaps more of an advocate for contemporary music than any other major pianist essentially rooted in traditional repertory, Maurizio Pollini was born in Milan, Italy. He learned quickly and was given piano lessons from an early age, making his public debut at the age of nine. He went on to win first prize in the Warsaw Chopin competition in 1960, and embarked upon a highly successful and acclaimed international career as a piano virtuoso. He appeared in concert throughout Europe, performing concertos with top conductors, and also giving recitals. He found a particular affinity with his countryman, conductor Claudio Abbado; the two shared a similarly analytical approach in their interpretations.
 
He is a pianist with a clean, bright though weighty, and refined sound, with exceptional clarity. His repertoire is extraordinarily wide. He frequently performs Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and the Romantics, but also Modernists like Prokofiev, Bartók, and Schoenberg. He has also recorded works by contemporary composers Pierre Boulez and Luigi Nono.
 
Since the 1980s, Pollini has widened his activities as a conductor. He frequently led concerts from the keyboard and has conducted orchestra concerts from the podium as well as leading operas. He continues to record and concertize.
 
Pollini has been a Steinway Artist since 1960.