Maurizio Pollini

A leading figure on the classical piano stage from the 1970s onward, Maurizio Pollini earned recognition for championing some of the most ambitious contemporary compositions while juxtaposing them with core 19th-century repertoire. His long-term association with Deutsche Grammophon stood out as one of the most enduring label relationships of the early 21st century.

Born in Milan on January 5, 1942, Pollini was the son of modernist architect and educator Gino Pollini. A 1957 Milan recital devoted to Chopin etudes brought him early widespread notice. After studies at the Milan Conservatory, he collected several important prizes upon finishing his training, among them first place at the 1960 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Judge Arthur Rubinstein reportedly declared that the boy “can play the piano better than any of us.” Those victories propelled his concert and recording careers; his debut on EMI paired him with the Philharmonia Orchestra in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11. During the early and middle 1960s Pollini stepped back from the spotlight to pursue further work with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, whose exacting yet elegant approach left a lasting mark. He reemerged amid the student movements of the late 1960s, joining conductor Claudio Abbado in programs presented for workers and university audiences.

Pollini’s Carnegie Hall debut in New York in 1968 marked a decisive return, after which he maintained a near-constant presence in major international venues for the next half-century. His first Deutsche Grammophon sessions, issued in 1971, featured music by Stravinsky and Prokofiev. He championed newer scores, several written expressly for him—including Luigi Nono’s …sofferte onde serene…—and frequently joined forces with Nono, Pierre Boulez (whose demanding Piano Sonata No. 2 became a signature piece), and Karlheinz Stockhausen, framing performances of Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann so as to underscore the unbroken lineage of the classical tradition. In 1987 he again collaborated with Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in New York, presenting the complete cycle of Beethoven’s five piano concertos.

In later years Pollini directed concertos from the keyboard and occasionally took the helm for operatic productions. Beginning in 2000 he curated a recurring series titled “Pollini Project” (or “Progetto Pollini”) that alternated 19th-century works with contemporary pieces. A 2019 Deutsche Grammophon release once more focused on Chopin, whose music remained central to his programs. Though health concerns occasionally interrupted his schedule, he continued appearing in concert halls and studios well into advanced age. Albums issued in 2020 and 2022 surveyed Beethoven’s technically formidable final five piano sonatas. At the time of his death in March 2024, Pollini’s discography encompassed roughly 150 compact discs plus numerous LPs; among his honors was the 2007 Grammy for Best Solo Instrumental Performance, awarded for a Deutsche Grammophon Chopin recording.