Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

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Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, 1960

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (born January 5, 1920 in Brescia , † June 12, 1995 in Lugano ) was an Italian pianist .

Life

As a child, Benedetti Michelangeli didn't really want to become a pianist. His father and mother played the piano, but he loved the violin and was determined to become a violinist. His role model was the famous Bronisław Huberman . But then he had to change the instrument due to illness and was trained as a pianist by Giovanni Anfossi at the Conservatory in Milan from 1930–1933 .

In 1938, at the age of 18, he only finished seventh in the Ysaÿe music competition ( Queen Elisabeth Competition ) in Brussels (the winner was Emil Gilels ), but a year later, Benedetti Michelangeli won first prize at the pianist competition in Geneva . Jury member Alfred Cortot spoke of a "new Liszt " at the time. He then taught in Bologna for two years .

In February 1943 he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic under Ernest Ansermet in the Berlin Philharmonic with Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto .

His world career began with a debut in London in 1946. In 1964 he founded the International Pianist Academy in Brescia , which he headed for five years. His students included u. a. Ivan Moravec , Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini .

repertoire

It is due to his perfectionism that he concentrated on a relatively narrow repertoire. In addition to the music of Ravel and Debussy , he dedicated himself to selected works from the Viennese Classic and Romantic periods . Many of his interpretations were characterized by a richness of color, sonic perfection and structural clarity.

various

Michelangeli had the reputation of an unapproachable perfectionist who canceled concerts due to minor defects. His irritated reactions due to even minor disturbances from the audience were also feared.

He basically traveled with his own grand piano and piano technician (Angelo Fabbrini); His instrument was a grand piano from the very small Italian factory Tallone, the trademark of which was that only matt grand pianos could be produced because there was no room for painting.

Recordings

Benedetti Michelangeli's Debussy recordings are now generally accorded reference status. The recordings by Scarlatti , Chopin , Ravel and Schumann should also be mentioned as outstanding recordings . An early recording of the Paganini Variations (he left out three of the 28 pieces) and the Ballads op.10 by Brahms was to become the benchmark for later performers.

It is perhaps thanks to the early recordings of individual pieces by the Catalan composer Federico Mompou that his work has not been forgotten.

Benedetti Michelangeli arranged 19 folk songs a cappella for the mountaineering choir Coro della SAT from Trento .

literature

  • Cord Garben: The cool art of perfection. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Florian Noetzel Verlag, Wilhelmshaven 2020, ISBN 978-3-7959-1042-6 .
  • Cord sheaves : Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Walking a tightrope with a genius . Europäische Verlagsanstalt, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-434-50524-5 (book with 1 audio CD).
  • Lidia Kozubek: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli as I Knew Him . Lang, Bern 2011, ISBN 978-3-631-61167-8 (= Ars Musica 2).
  • Jochen Köhler: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. In search of the perfect . Wolke, Hofheim 2020, ISBN 978-3-95593-045-5

Movie

  • An incredible pianist - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Documentary, Germany, 2019, 52:34 Min, written and directed. Syrthos J. Dreher, Dag Freyer, production: 3B production, SWR , Unitel , SRF , first broadcast: January 12, 2020 arte, Summary of ARD , online- Video available until April 11, 2020. Archive recordings and interviews with contemporary witnesses, etc. a. with Cord Garben , Michelangeli's producer from 1974 to 1992; the pianists Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vowka Aschkenasi ; Angelo Fabbrini, Michelangeli's piano technician; Pirate Harry Chin.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Anthony Tommasini: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Reclusive Pianist, Is Dead at 75. In: The New York Times . June 13, 1995, accessed January 23, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Michelangeli, Arturo Benedetti
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian pianist
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Brescia
DATE OF DEATH June 12, 1995
Place of death Lugano