Ivo Pogorelić facts for kids
Ivo Pogorelić (born October 20, 1958) is a famous Croatian pianist. He is known for his special and sometimes unusual ways of playing music. These performances have made him very popular, but they have also brought him both praise and criticism from music experts. He plays a wide range of music, and his recordings include pieces by many different composers from the early 1700s to the 1900s.
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Early Life and Learning Music
Pogorelić was born in Belgrade, which was then part of Yugoslavia. His father was Croatian and his mother was Serbian. After Yugoslavia broke up, he became a Croatian citizen.
He started learning piano when he was seven years old. He went to the Vojislav Vučković Music School in Belgrade until he was 12. Then, he was invited to Moscow to continue his studies at the Central Music School. There, he studied with Evgeny Timakin. He also became good friends with another pianist, Mikhail Pletnev. Later, he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Vera Gornostayeva and Yevgeny Malinin.
In 1976, he began working closely with the Georgian pianist and teacher Alisa Kezheradze. She taught him a special style of playing that came from famous musicians like Franz Liszt. They got married in 1980, and she passed away in 1996.
A Career in Music
Pogorelić won the Casagrande Competition in Italy in 1978. He also won the Montreal International Musical Competition in 1980.
The Chopin Competition Scandal
In 1980, he entered the X International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. However, he was removed from the competition in the third round. This caused a big stir! One of the judges, Martha Argerich, who is a very famous pianist herself, quit the jury in protest. She called Pogorelić a "genius."
Her action caused a major scandal in the world of classical music. Two other judges supported her, saying it was "unthinkable" that such a talented artist would not reach the finals. But other judges disagreed. They felt Pogorelić's playing was too extreme. Judge Eugene List said, "He doesn't respect the music. He uses extremes to the point of distortion." Another judge, Louis Kentner, had already left the jury earlier because his own students were eliminated. He said he couldn't be part of the jury if artists like Pogorelić made it to later stages, as they had "different aesthetic criteria."
World Performances and Recordings
Despite the controversy, Pogorelić made his first big performance in New York's Carnegie Hall in 1981. He also debuted in London that same year. Since then, he has played many solo concerts all over the world. He has performed with some of the best orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Pogorelić soon started recording music for Deutsche Grammophon, a well-known record label. In 1982, he became one of their exclusive artists. He has recorded music by many famous composers like Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. He was also the first classical pianist ever invited to perform in Kuwait.
After his wife passed away in 1996, Pogorelić took a long break from performing concerts. In 2019, he released his first new album in 21 years. It featured piano sonatas by Beethoven and Rachmaninoff.
Helping Others Through Music
In 1986, Pogorelić started a foundation in Yugoslavia. Its goal was to help young musicians from his home country grow their careers. In 1988, UNESCO named him an Ambassador of Goodwill. He was the first classical pianist to receive this honor.
From 1989 to 1997, the Ivo Pogorelić Festival took place in Bad Wörishofen. This festival gave young artists a chance to perform with famous musicians. In 1993, Pogorelić also created the "International Solo Piano Competition" in California. This competition helps young musicians by offering a large prize of US$100,000 to the winner.
In 1994, he helped provide medical support for people in Sarajevo by setting up a foundation that organized charity concerts. He has also helped raise money for rebuilding Sarajevo, for the Red Cross, and for fighting serious illnesses like cancer.
Personal Life
When he was a child, Pogorelić had chronic rheumatic fever. At 21, he had hepatitis. These experiences made him very careful about his health. He follows special exercises, takes long walks every day, goes to bed early, and wakes up at 5:30 in the morning.
Pogorelić currently lives in Lugano, Switzerland.
See also
In Spanish: Ivo Pogorelich para niños
