Maurizio Pollini
Maurizio Pollini ( born January 5, 1942 in Milan ) is an Italian pianist and conductor.
Life
Pollini was born in Milan, the son of Italian architect Gino Pollini. At the age of nine years, Maurizio Pollini made his debut as a pianist.
He first studied with Carlo Lonati ( until he was 13 years old), then with Carlo Vidusso ( until he was 18 years old). He received a diploma at the Conservatorio di musica " Giuseppe Verdi" di Milano. Later, he was also trained by the famous pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
At the International Piano Competition in Geneva in 1957, in which no first prize was awarded, Pollini won the second prize. In 1959 he won the Ettore Pozzoli competition in Seregno, the year after the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Since then he has performed internationally in concerts.
Temporarily to Pollini operated as a conductor, particularly at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro.
In 1996 he received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, in 2000 the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, in 2002 the Echo Klassik for his life's work and 2007. Than Instrumentalist of the Year 2009, the Golden Medal of the Province of Vienna it was presented.
Maurizio Pollini 's father in 1978, born in Berne pianist Daniele Pollini.
Repertoire
Pollini made initially attracted attention for their dynamic and fiery performances of works by Chopin. He played in 1957 the Chopin etudes in Milan and caused quite a stir. End of the 60s he concentrated more on clarity and tonal fine-tuning. Although he was often classed as the world's unrivaled by the critics in technical terms, his interpretations in the period were partly as too smooth and energized. Later interpretations showed a higher level of impulsiveness and expression again.
Priorities of Pollini's repertoire are works by Chopin, Beethoven and Schubert. Chopin sounds under his hands, as Joachim Kaiser writes, always festive and running ahead, as he never may rest on the often savored Rubatostellen. Pollini has also been used for the music of the 20th century, notably Berg, Webern and Schoenberg, in addition, also for the contemporary avant-garde, with works by the composer Boulez, Berio and Nono. On the occasion of Schoenberg's 100th birthday led Pollini whose complete works for piano in several cities.
Recordings
Reference character are widely accepted as Pollini's recording of the Etudes by Chopin in 1972. As a scale factor is also his recording of the Sonata No. 7 of Prokofiev, which he gives an unsentimental expression by structural clarity and rhythmic precision. His recordings of the late piano sonatas ( No. 28 - No. 32) by Beethoven from the years 1976/1977 have achieved the status of a reference recording. Similarly, the highly praised awarded the Ernst von Siemens Prize recordings of the three late piano sonatas by Franz Schubert ( D 958, D 959, D 960). Finally published in 2009, recording the preludes and fugues of JS Bach's " Well-Tempered Clavier " (Volume 1) is now already counted among the outstanding Bach recordings.
Trivia
Pollini is one of the very few concert pianists who always give concerts despite the almost ubiquitous availability of large Steinway grand piano stage only on their own instrument, as it is also known by Krystian Zimerman and was known by Vladimir Horowitz. Pollini's wing is supervised by a piano technician, owner of the Italian Steinway representation, which is known throughout Europe for its finesse and expertise in the intonation, the processing of the wing Hammers under Steinway connoisseurs.