Maurizio Pollini, music mourns the perfect pianist who passed away at the age of 82 –

The great Milanese pianist Maurizio Pollini, who passed away this morning at 5am, at the age of 82 on January 5th, had been ill for some time and for this reason had canceled his last scheduled concerts. An all-round musician who had also been an orchestra director, Pollini was known for his masterful technique and for his continuous search for perfection in all the vast repertoire that he performed. Born into a family of the enlightened Milanese bourgeoisie – he was the son of the architect Gino Pollini and the pianist Renata Melotti, in turn sister of the sculptor Fausto Melotti –
Pollini caused a great stir at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1960, from which he won, for his performance of 4 very difficult Chopin Etudes, so much so that the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein, member of the jury, said: «This young man already technically plays better of all of us! And the music critic expert in pianism, Piero Rattalino, present at the performance, added: «This young man will either become the greatest pianist in the world, or he will end up in a mental hospital!».

La Scala mourns the loss of Maurizio Pollini, one of the great musicians of our time. | La Scala mourns the passing of Maurizio Pollini, one of the great musicians of our time.

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— Teatro alla Scala (@teatroallascala) March 23, 2024

Pollini did not end up in a mental hospital and certainly became one of the greatest pianists in the world, publishing, after his victory at the Warsaw competition, several recordings of Chopin’s works for Emi. A student of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli’s master classes, who said that there was “very little to teach Pollini”, the young pianist began an important concert career that took him to the most important halls around the world with the major orchestras European, American and Asian. His repertoire ranged from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Chopin, from Schubert to Schoenberg up to Stockhausen, Manzoni and Sciarrino.

The Teatro alla Scala mourns the passing of Pollini, “one of the great musicians of our time and a fundamental reference in the artistic life of the Theater for over fifty years. The Superintendent Dominique Meyer, the Musical Director Riccardo Chailly, the professors of the Orchestra and the Scala workers are next to his wife Marilisa, his son Daniele and the whole family. Pupil of Carlo Lonati and Carlo Vidusso, absolute protagonist of the international concert scene”, we read in a note.

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, released the following statement: “I would like to express my deep condolences for the passing of Maurizio Pollini, a distinguished pianist, rigorous and inspired interpreter of extraordinary musical works, a reference for generations of musicians from all over the world. A poet of the piano who in his long years of extraordinary career has brought prestige to Italy on the international artistic scene. I express my deepest condolences to his family.” “Italy mourns the passing of Maurizio Pollini, an extraordinary performer and one of the greatest pianists of the second half of the twentieth century who with his music for over half a century fascinated and conquered theater audiences throughout the world”, declared the Minister of Culture , Gennaro Sangiuliano.