Maurizio Pollini facts for kids
Maurizio Pollini (born January 5, 1942 – died March 23, 2024) was a famous Italian pianist. He was known for playing music by great composers like Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy. He also helped introduce new music by modern composers such as Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Some composers even wrote special pieces just for him!
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Early Life and Training
Pollini was born in Milan, Italy. His father, Gino Pollini, was a well-known architect. Maurizio started playing piano at a young age. He studied with different teachers and graduated from the Milan Conservatory.
In 1959, he won the International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition in Italy. The next year, in 1960, he won the important VI International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein, who was a judge, said Pollini could play better than any of them!
After winning the competition, Pollini took a year off from performing. He wanted to learn more and improve his skills. This led to some people thinking he had stopped playing, but he was just studying. Later, he also studied with another great pianist, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
A Career of Great Performances
Starting in the mid-1960s, Pollini began performing a lot. He played concerts and with orchestras in Europe, the United States, and Asia. His first time playing in America was in 1968.
In 1985, he played all of Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1. This was to celebrate Bach's 300th birthday. In 1987, he played all of Ludwig van Beethoven's piano concertos in New York. He played with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra.
Pollini also played all of Beethoven's piano sonatas in several cities. These included Berlin, Munich, New York City, and London. He often created special concert series. In these, he would play both old and new music together. He wanted to show how different musical styles could connect.
In 2012, Pollini had to cancel some concerts because of his health. He continued to perform when he could. In 2014, he played at the Salzburg Festival. He performed pieces by Chopin and Debussy. Maurizio Pollini passed away on March 23, 2024, at the age of 82. His son, Daniele Pollini, is also a pianist and conductor.
Famous Recordings
Pollini made many important recordings. His first recordings for Deutsche Grammophon in 1971 were very famous. They included music by Stravinsky and Prokofiev. These recordings are still considered very important for piano music from the 20th century.
He also recorded Chopin's difficult Etudes. In 2002, Deutsche Grammophon released a special set of 13 CDs to celebrate his 60th birthday. Later, they released a huge set of 58 discs of all his recordings. He finished recording all of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas in 2014.
Some people said Pollini's playing was sometimes too controlled. But Pollini himself said he always tried to play exactly what the composer wanted. He focused on the music, not his own feelings.
Beliefs and Activism
During the 1960s and 1970s, Pollini was interested in social issues. He believed that art should be for everyone. He worked with other artists, like Luigi Nono and Claudio Abbado. They put on concerts for students and workers. They wanted to make classical music available to more people.
Once, Pollini tried to read a statement about a political event during a concert. The audience reacted strongly, and the concert had to stop. Pollini later said he still believed in helping society, even if he questioned how some activists worked.
Awards and Honors
Pollini received many important awards for his musical talent:
- In 1996, he won the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.
- In 2001, his recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations won the Diapason d'or award.
- In 2007, he won a Grammy Award for his recording of Chopin's nocturnes.
- He was given the Praemium Imperiale in 2010. This is a global arts award.
- In 2012, he was added to the Gramophone Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Maurizio Pollini para niños
