Pianist Maurizio Pollini dies at 82 in Milan

Maurizio Pollini, the renowned Italian pianist and intellectual, died on March 23 in Milan at age 82. A winner of the 1960 Chopin Competition in Warsaw at 18, he was praised by Arthur Rubinstein for his interpretive maturity. Pollini was known for his analytical depth, especially with Chopin and Beethoven, and for championing contemporary composers like Luigi Nono, Pierre Boulez, and Salvatore Sciarrino. He performed in factories with Claudio Abbado in the 1970s and later curated the Progetto Pollini at the Salzburg Festival, mixing Renaissance music with new commissions. His complete Beethoven sonata cycles in the late 1990s marked a turning point in interpretation. Pollini leaves behind his partner Marilisa, son Daniele (also a pianist), and a vast discography.