Maurizio Pollini was an award-winning Italian pianist and conductor who helped lead the establishment of the Rossini Opera Festival.
- Died: March 23, 2024 (Who else died on March 23?)
- Details of death: Died in Milan at the age of 82.
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Maurizio Pollini’s legacy
Born in Milan, Pollini came from a family of artists and musicians. His father played violin, his mother sang and played piano, and other family members were involved in the arts in various ways. Before he was even 10 years old, he was already giving concerts. At 14, he was performing Frédéric Chopin’s works, and at 18 he won the International Chopin Piano Competition, just a year after winning the International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition.
Rather than launch right into a career, however, Pollini instead chose to continue studying music, building his repertoire and working on improvisational music.
He started touring the United States in 1968 and spent the next several decades recording material by Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and Schubert for Deutsche Grammophon. For his 75th birthday, the label released a 58-CD collection of his work. He also played a vital role in the now annual Rossini Opera Festival at Pesaro, established in the 1980s as part of the revival of Gioachino Rossini’s works.
Pollini is in the Gramophone Hall of Fame and among many other honors, won the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 1996 and the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) in 2007.
Tributes to Maurizio Pollini
Full obituary: The Boston Globe
