January 8, 2017.Three pianists.Three great pianists of the last century were born last week, and by remarkable coincidence all three were born on the same day, January 5th: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 1920, Alfred Brendel in 1931, and Maurizio Pollini – in 1942.So very different as performers (even their repertoires have little in common), all three were cerebral musicians who did not wear their hearts on the sleeve.Their playing is faithful to the score and emotions come from the composer, not the artifice.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was born in Brescia, northern Italy.Though he started studying the violin (at the age of three), he switched to the piano soon after.He was accepted at the Milan Conservatory at ten and graduated at the age of 14.He was not very successful at the Ysaÿe International Festival in 1938, where he took 7th place (Emil Gilels was the winner) but a year later he won the Geneva Piano competition.There, the perfection of his playing already apparent, and he was called “the new Liszt.”In 1940 he played a sensational debut concert in Rome.During WWII he served in the Italian air force but resumed his career soon after the war’s end.He debuted in London in 1946 and in the US – in 1948.In the 1950s he stopped concertizing for a while, concentrating on teaching, and formed his own International Pianists’ Academy.Maurizio Pollini and Martha Argerich were his students.Michelangeli resumed playing concerts in 1960, even though he was known to cancel almost as many concerts as he played.Michelangeli’s repertoire was very small for a pianist of his standing, especially compared to pianists like Sviatoslav Richter, but the crystalline perfection of his playing was incomparable.Michelangeli died in Lugano on June 12th of 1995.Here’s Chopin’s Ballade no. 1 in his 1972 recording.
The great Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel was born in Wiesenberg in what is now the Czech Republic.His family moved to Zagreb when Alfred was six, and then to Graz, Austria, where he studied at the local conservatory.What is quite unusual for a future virtuoso is that Brendel didn’t have formal piano classes past the age of 14 and was mostly self-taught.Neither did he have a brilliant competition career: he only participated in one, the Buzoni, and took the fourth prize.His career was built slowly, as he played concerts across Europe.His made several recordings, again starting with just a few (later he would record all of Beethoven sonatas three times, and also three times all of Beethoven concertos – with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony, with Simon Rattle and the Vienna Philharmonic, and with Bernard Haitink and London Philharmonic.He also recorded all Mozart piano pieces and most of Schubert).The breakthrough came after his London concert in the late 1960s: it was taped, and the recording companies came calling.In 1972, after living in Vienna for 20 years, Brendel moved to London; he still lives there.Brendel is a supreme interpreter of the music of Schubert, Beethoven, and late Liszt.Here’s Brendel playing Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.1
Compared to Brendel’s, Maurizio Pollini’s path to fame was more conventional.Born in Milan (he still lives there), he went to the local conservatory, and at the age of 18 won the International Chopin Piano competition.After a shaky couple of years Pollini embarked on a performance career.His technique, interpretive precision and depth brought him great acclaim.Pollini’s repertoire is broad and unusual.On the one hand, he’s one of the greatest Chopin players of the century.At the same time, his Beethoven is superb (not many pianists can play both at the same level).Pollini is also a great champion of contemporary music: in addition to Schoenberg and Webern he plays works of Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bruno Maderna.Here’s Pollini’s interpretation of Chopin’s Nocturne No.1 Op.9 in B Flat minor.
Three pianists, 2018
January 8, 2017. Three pianists. Three great pianists of the last century were born last week, and by remarkable coincidence all three were born on the same day, January 5th: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 1920, Alfred Brendel in 1931, and Maurizio Pollini – in 1942. So very different as performers (even their repertoires have little in common), all three were cerebral musicians who did not wear their hearts on the sleeve. Their playing is faithful to the score and emotions come from the composer, not the artifice.
The great Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel was born in Wiesenberg in what is now the Czech Republic. His family moved to Zagreb when Alfred was six, and then to Graz, Austria, where he studied at the local conservatory. What is quite unusual for a future virtuoso is that Brendel didn’t have formal piano classes past the age of 14 and was mostly self-taught. Neither did he have a brilliant competition career: he only participated in one, the Buzoni, and took the fourth prize. His career was built slowly, as he played concerts across Europe. His made several recordings, again starting with just a few (later he would record all of Beethoven sonatas three times, and also three times all of Beethoven concertos – with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony, with Simon Rattle and the Vienna Philharmonic, and with Bernard Haitink and London Philharmonic. He also recorded all Mozart piano pieces and most of Schubert). The breakthrough came after his London concert in the late 1960s: it was taped, and the recording companies came calling. In 1972, after living in Vienna for 20 years, Brendel moved to London; he still lives there. Brendel is a supreme interpreter of the music of Schubert, Beethoven, and late Liszt. Here’s Brendel playing Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.1
Compared to Brendel’s, Maurizio Pollini’s path to fame was more conventional. Born in Milan (he still lives there), he went to the local conservatory, and at the age of 18 won the International Chopin Piano competition. After a shaky couple of years Pollini embarked on a performance career. His technique, interpretive precision and depth brought him great acclaim. Pollini’s repertoire is broad and unusual. On the one hand, he’s one of the greatest Chopin players of the century. At the same time, his Beethoven is superb (not many pianists can play both at the same level). Pollini is also a great champion of contemporary music: in addition to Schoenberg and Webern he plays works of Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bruno Maderna. Here’s Pollini’s interpretation of Chopin’s Nocturne No.1 Op.9 in B Flat minor.