Maurizio Pollini, a Grammy-winning Italian pianist known for his performances at Milan’s La Scala opera venue, has died. He was 82.
Pollini died on Saturday, La Scala confirmed in a statement. The notification did not identify a cause of death, but Pollini had to cancel a concert at the Salzburg Festival in 2022 due to cardiac concerns.
Throughout his six-decade worldwide career, Pollini’s repertoire extended beyond the usual standards. He admired early twentieth-century classics by Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and Anton Webern, as well as postwar modernists Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, and Luigi Nono.
He was born on January 5, 1942, into an artistic family in Milan. Leading rationalist architect and violinist Gino Pollini was his father. Renata Melotti, his mother, and her brother Fausto Melotti, who also pioneered abstract sculpture, both sang and played the piano.
He also worked with other well-known conductors, such as Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, and Riccardo Chailly, over his lengthy international career.
In 1968, Pollini embarked on his maiden American tour. He recorded extensively for the Deutsche Grammophon label between the 1970s and the 1990s, becoming as a renowned performer of Beethoven, Schumann, and Schubert compositions.
Numerous accolades were bestowed upon his CDs, with Chopin: Nocturnes taking home a Grammy in 2007 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra).
His son Daniele, a talented pianist and conductor, and his wife Marilisa survive him.
