Maurizio Pollini

Maurizio Pollini, born in 1942, Italian pianist. Pollini was born in Milan, Italy, and made his debut at the age of 9. By age 15 he had caught the attention of the Italian press with a performance of the Études by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. After graduating from the Milan Conservatory in 1959, Pollini gained international prominence the following year by winning the Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. He was the youngest contestant in the competition. Following this victory, he studied with his compatriot pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and undertook concert engagements in many countries. However, he did not make his United States debut until 1968.

Pollini’s performances are known for an intellectual rigor that can make them seem detached, but he is also renowned for the purity of his technique. His repertory ranges from 18th-century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach to 20th-century French composer Pierre Boulez. He is a noted interpreter of Boulez’s difficult Piano Sonata No. 2, which he has also recorded, and an enthusiastic supporter of avant-garde Italian composer Luigi Nono. He is as much at home with the music of earlier composers such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Chopin as he is with 20th-century composers Arnold Schoenberg, Béla Bartók, and Sergey Prokofiev. His performances from 1993 onward of the complete piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven received widespread acclaim. Since 1982 he has pursued a second career as an orchestral and operatic conductor.