REMEMBERING MAURIZIO POLLINI: His Great Recordings

Maurizio Pollini, who passed away a few days ago, was one of those musicians who truly deserved the title "legendary". Blessed with a formidable technique that would make light of music before which other pianists trembled merely in the contemplation of playing it, Pollini was a true aristocrat of the instrument, dedicated to the representation and illumination of the score without frills or affectation.
His recorded legacy is full of one benchmark performance after another., and spans a huge range of styles and eras. In this video I talk about what made Pollini so special, and pull out some of my favorite Pollini recordings to discuss in more detail.
One factual error: the portrait of Schoenberg on the cover of Pollini's Schoenberg record is NOT a self-portrait, it is by Richard Gerstl. (Schoenberg's paintings are still worth checking out - they are very fine). Thanks to the viewer who pointed this out. Mea culpa.
You can read my articles and reviews at trackingangle.com
Follow me on instagram: / music_on_record
Recommended channels for classical music fans and collectors:
The Ultimate Classical Music Guide by David Hurwitz
www.youtube.co....
Poetry On Plastic
www.youtube.co....
Flowering Spikes
/ @floweringspikes
An invaluable guide to all the different pressings of the main classical labels:
www.youtube.co....
Another excellent resource for new classical recordings is BBC Radio 3's long-standing weekly broadcast "Record Review". Shows remain available to listen to for 30 days after first broadcast:
www.bbc.co.uk/....
My system, which has evolved over 20-plus years, is tube based and many pieces were acquired used. It was mostly put together with the invaluable help and ears of Eliot Midwood at Acoustic Image (acousticimage.com) who is also responsible for many of the fine recordings on the Yarlung label.
Well-Tempered Classic Turntable (round motor)
Micro-Benz Ruby 2 MC Cartridge
Phonostage: L.A. Audio (currently out of commission - so I am using the stellar Schiit Mani 2 phonostage)
Cary Audio CD/SACD 306
Preamp: Kora Equinoxe
Amps: Genesis Monoblocks 60 Amp Valve
Speakers: Silverline Sonatas with upgraded crossover and tweeters (Dynaudio)
Cabling: Aural Symphonics
Custom-made stands, with a Townshend Seismic Sink for the Well-Tempered turntable

[@musiconrecord6724]

I have been so enjoying hearing about all your experiences of hearing Pollini live in concert. And now, since a number of you have been extolling the virtues of his Schumann renderings, I am going to give some of these another listen. Maybe finally I will overcome my difficulties with Schumann's solo piano music.... Also, a quick correction: the portrait on the cover of Pollini's Schoenberg recital is by Richard Gerstl, not by the composer. Mea culpa. Thanks to all for watching and commenting.

[@nikoleli7079]

I saw Pollini many times in my youth at Carnegie Hall. I got front row seats by the keyboard early on for $7. Initially the Hall was half empty but as his reputation grew it became extremely difficult to get good seats no less seats period. He was my favorite pianist back then and I bought his albums and have him sign them in the green room. I also have a DG poster of him with his long hair that he signed. I heard him play Beethoven last sonata which made me finally understand it. I believe he played the Chopin op 25 etudes the first half if I recall. I remember he made one mistake in the first one at a very easy spot (probably due to initial nerves) but then note perfect and even better than his recording. I also absolutely loved his Schumann, and his Fantasy still remains one of the finest ever recorded even after 50 years.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Love to hear about these amazing live concert experiences - although now I am regretting even more that I never heard him in concert.

[@Troybeallad]

I went to Pollini recitals in London for over fifty years, and will miss his superb playing. RIP Pollini, and thanks for all your playing, particularly Chopin.

[@michaelmcdonagh5104]

Yes! Pollini and the Quartetto Italiano's recording of the Brahms Op.34 Piano Quintet is a knockout. Massive. Delicate. Extremely expressive, but not sentimental. I caught Pollini playing the Chopin Etudes complete here in San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall many years ago and was as amazed by his presence as his playing. I have his DGG CD Schoenberg : The Piano Music which is startlingly clear, otherworldly. Hardly anyone seems to know the Quartetto Italiano whose recording of Faure's 2 piano quintets are stunning, and tremendously moving.

[@johngreen1176]

Are you talking about the Quartetto Italiano or a different quartet? Just because the Quartetto Italiano is one of the most famous string quartets ever. It also made very few recordings with collaborators, with this recording of the Brahms Quintet with Pollini being a notable exception. Otherwise, I agree, the Brahms recording is amazing. I would love to get that Schoenberg recording as well.

[@AJ-lw1cp]

Pollini's recording of Schumann symphonic etudes op. 13 and arabeske op. 18 are astounding too

[@musiconrecord6724]

The only reason I've not mentioned any of his Schumann is because I have a bit of a blind spot with Schumann's solo piano music. I know Pollini's Schumann is highly regarded.

[@davidgoulden5956]

I agree. I think this was the first time DG did some kind of justice to the beauty of his tone. Pogorelich recorded op. 13 for the yellow label the same time period, in much chillier sound. BOTH are wonderful displays of pianism.

[@carpediem7286]

These recordings are IMHO his absolute best and a testament of gigantic piano playing to future generations: 1) Stravinsky, Petroushka 2) Brahms, 2nd Piano Concerto (the early recording with Abbado) 3) Bartok, Concertos N.1 and 2, and Out of Doors (bootleg) 4) Schumann, Symphonic Studies and first Sonata 5) Chopin, Etudes and Preludes 6) Beethoven, Hammerklavier, Diabelli variations, Choral Fantasy, and 3rd and 5th piano concertos (I like the Böhm versions the most) 7) Schubert, Wanderer Fantasy and a magnificent bootleg version of the D. 894 sonata 8) Brahms, Piano Quintet 9) Prokofiev, Sonata N. 7

[@kjmav10135]

I heard Pollini with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the mid to late 70s. I was a teenager. It was my very first visit to any symphony ever. I had no idea who Pollini was. To me, the CSO was no big deal-just, you know, our local, hometown symphony 😂. The program included Beethoven, Bartok, and someone else who started with a B. The only composer I had even heard of before that concert was Beethoven. Anyway, I was captivated, entranced by Pollini’s playing. I remember imagining those black lines between the white keys and black keys dancing off the keyboard and creating line drawings in my head that looked like what he was playing-like a children’s book-my own imaginary “Mr. Pollini Plays the Piano.” I walked into Orchestra Hall with no preconceptions. I walked out a devoted fan of classical/orchestral music. Thank you, Maestro Pollini for setting me on this rich musical path. Rest in Peace.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank you for sharing this marvelous story. What a memory to have!

[@mancal5829]

The first recording I ever heard of a piano concerto, any piano concerto, was that of Beethoven's 3rd with Pollini and Bohm (in audiocasette!) I fell in love. It amazed me so. It is good to hear another one of your talks!

[@musiconrecord6724]

I can well understand your amazement. I love all those Bohm/Pollini Beethoven and Mozart recordings. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@theophicen7850]

Great tribute to one of the finest pianists. I have a lot of Pollini's recordings and love them all. Thank you very much. And yes, the Beethoven Late Piano Sonatas box looks amazing, like many other DG's in the seventies!

[@davidgoulden5956]

Was fortunate enough to see him in recital in London 4 times, second half of the '80s, and performing the Brahms D minor in Wien, much more recently. He gave virtually note-perfect (and impassioned) performances of the Hammerklavier and the Liszt sonata. He is not my absolute favourite pianist - but he is the most masterful I've seen/heard. At his peak he was an absolute boss of the keyboard - and his tone was much more beguiling than it is usually given credit for. Pity DG's engineers usually failed to do justice to his tone. Some of his '70s recordings sound very bony - and I'm no hi-fi expert. THANK YOU MAESTRO POLLINI AND MAY YOU REST IN PEACE!

[@musiconrecord6724]

I am SO jealous. I think your comments re. his sound are dead on, and it is more down to the engineering and the 70s vinyl pressings. I find the remastered CDs and SACDs (also available via streaming) are a little fuller. I am so curious to hear what the upcoming Original Source vinyl will sound like.

[@davidgoulden5956]

@@musiconrecord6724 ...remiss of me not to thank you for your talk. I enjoyed it very much. I saw many elite pianists live back in the 80s and 90s (stopped going to concerts because of noisy audiences - but that is another subject) and the two pianists with the most beguiling tone/touch were Jorge Bolet and Maurizio Pollini. Will never forget Pollini playing the Schubert Sonata in G at the Royal Festival Hall in '88 or '89. Demand for tickets was so great they put fold-up chairs on the stage. His sound was absolutely ravishing. Firm and rich and clean all at the same time. Did his engineers at DG in the '70s listen to the playbacks? His Schubert record released in '74 sounds like an RCA recording from the '50s and his Chopin preludes from '75 isn't much better - and, like I said, I am far from a hi-fi nut. BEST WISHES, D.

[@musiconrecord6724]

@@davidgoulden5956 The problem with the sound on the LPs was the way DG eq'd and cut their vinyl, deliberately shaving off frequency response at both ends of the spectrum. This was done to head off any problems at pressing plants outside of Germany. None of this came to light until the EBS-remixed/remastered SACDS and Original Source vinyl reissues began to appear, which restored full frequencies, dynamic etc. and we could finally hear what we had been missing. With CDs, the problem was that some remasterings were better than others, and in the early days of digital the sonics weren't great anyway. That concert must have been incredible.

[@mchilungu]

Sorry to hear of the passing of a genuine master of the keyboard. Fortunately he left us a tremendous body of work.

[@tomilalankina1434]

I listen to Pollini playing Beethoven's late piano sonatas a lot. He is a giant. The music is breath-taking. Rest in peace.

[@markhagestad332]

I'm ashamed to say I didn't know very much about Pollini. More study on Pollini is definitely in order. Thanks to you I'm still lacking but at least I'm lacking on a much higher plane. Thanks so much for your enlightening video and I hope to see and hear you back a bit more often than in the last 6-9 months. I know you have been greatly missed. Mark. (Seattle)

[@musiconrecord6724]

Very much appreciated.

[@jonathanparrycomposer]

Many thanks, an excellent summary of Maurizio's recordings. I've been in awe of his piano playing since studying music in the the 70s. Pity you never got to see him live - I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall on 23rd October 1977 playing the late sonatas by Beethoven - stunning ! The recordings still sound as fresh as the day I first heard them. Looking forward to the Brahms Quintet - I don't know that recording !

[@musiconrecord6724]

That concert must have been amazing! You'll love the Brahms!

[@DavidSmith-tl1qh]

Thank you so much for doing this Tribute! I have often wondered if others knew just what a fantastic performance and recording Pollini's Mozart 19th and 23rd Piano Concerto with Karl Bohm was! I own several different formats of this, (didn't realize there was an SACD) I think it one of the greatest recorded Piano Concertos I've ever heard. Looking forward to finding some of the titles you showed!

[@musiconrecord6724]

It is absolutely lovely, isn't it? His other Mozart recordings are terrific too - but this one just has that extra magic. So interesting that Pollini and Bohm got along - the young leftist and the old Nazi-lite....

[@pauldavies6037]

Very sad to hear about Pollini with such a great recorded legacy we can still his majestic playing thanks for the fitting tribute

[@johnwilton1807]

Thanks for alerting me to the Bartok with Abbado, forgotten and forlorn amongst the other DG outcasts on the shelf!

[@musiconrecord6724]

It's a scorcher!!!

[@TrueStereo-]

CDs! As many CDs sound better than LPs as LPs sound better than CDs. Many thanks for your wonderful videos.

[@musiconrecord6724]

'Tis true! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@donthuis]

When I still bought classical concert series in the Hague in my student years I attended live performances of both Arthur Rubinstein (Bruno Maderna conducting) and Martha Argerich (with her dazzling octave passages in Tsjaikovsky 1st), but later in life I missed Pollini's regular "Master series" solo performances in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. I did however reach some kind of link to him when correcting the last note in a black and white video I found on KZbin dating back to his earliest years and him playing prélude op 28 nr 24 with gusto. From the score at my home I knew that the very last note was just a repetition of the one preceding it so a simple copy paste solved this anomaly. Since then the original faulty one has gone from KZbin and my corrected one still attracts a lot of viewers. To know he barely made any mistake whilst playing made this registration very special to me 😯

[@musiconrecord6724]

I love this story!

[@willx9352]

Pollini’s recordings are readily available digitally, in the latest remasterings, by either streaming or download.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank you so much for stating this. I had meant to say something along these lines and completely forgot!

[@sharegreats2157]

Are those recordings with videos or just audio? If the last is right, where can I buy video-recordings? Thanks in advance.

[@musiconrecord6724]

All just audio. As to videos, that I couldn't tell you, alas. Your best bet is to check on ebay.

[@toniokroeger64]

The Schoenberg portrait is by Richard Gerstl, not a self-portrait

[@musiconrecord6724]

I stand very much corrected - and I very much appreciate you pointing this out. I didn't even bother to look at the sleeve because I had thought this was by Schoenberg for ever. It just goes to show - always double check EVERYTHING!!!

[@damianlanigan]

Am pretty sure Karajan basically paid for the Second Viennese School recording himself!

[@musiconrecord6724]

Oh he paid for it substantially. And it was a huge bestseller - he claimed that if you stacked all the LP and cassette boxes on top of one another the stack would reach the top of the Eiffel Tower! Needless to say, he laughed all the way to the bank.....

[@damianlanigan]

The Vox Etudes recording possibly even more compeling than the DG remake

[@musiconrecord6724]

Do you mean the unreleased EMI recording I referred to, now available on Testament?

[@damianlanigan]

@@musiconrecord6724 Yes! Sorry, it was the early Brendel that was on Vox, got my wires crossed...

[@davidmoran5431]

omg, yakyakyak

[@Bashkii]

Great hommage but too much bla,bla bla. Could be shorter and more to the point. Thank you !!

[@musiconrecord6724]

There's always the fast forward feature..... Thanks for watching.

[@davidgoulden5956]

Why don't you upload your own talk about Pollini devoid of 'bla bla bla'? Wow us all with your peerles brevity. What an ingrate.

[@dennismaurer9672]

I heard polling perform the Debussy etudes and berg sonata at Carnegie hall, around the time these were recorded. Astounding and otherworldly. Thank you so much for doing this tribute.

[@musiconrecord6724]

That must have been incredible!

[@retlwiz]

I was obsessed by some of Pollini’s recordings from the ‘70s in particular, but when they digitally-remastered some of that stuff in the early nineties it sounded even worse, to me. The original recording which sounds thinnest to me is the Chopin Études, which is unfortunate, because it’s a monumental performance. I also really think Pollini changed something subtly in his playing after the ‘70s and his later, digital recordings don’t have the same character as the ‘70s ones. It’s all subjective, but I think at his best Pollini stripped back decades of romantic tradition and habits and gave you the music pretty much as is, but which a gigantic technique and masses of power. He’s not for everyone, but if you get into him he’s utterly compelling.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Yes, those Etudes really suffered when first put on CD. What you say at the end - couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@davidgoulden5956]

That is a very smart description of Pollini in his peak years.

[@ultron9]

Wonderful commentary and I've been a very enthusiastic listener of Pollini since the early 80s. Thank you for this heartfelt and enlightening overview!

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank you!

[@orientalmuffin17]

Thank you for your presentation of this tribute. Unfortunately, I never saw Pollini live. However, I have listened to most of the recordings you present here. A true testament to how good some of these recordings are is that, despite listening to other great recordings of the same works, I usually, and most often, return to Pollini's recordings! I'm not sure if you deliberately missed one of Pollini's recording which I feel deserves a mention here, is the Liszt B Minor Sonata. A one movement behometh of a piano work similar to the Beethoven Late Piano sonatas in scope. In Pollini's hands, the sonata is a powerfully evocative piece of emotion and lyricism yet always kept in typical Pollini control. If you haven't heard the recording, pls do yourself a favour.

[@MrKadillak]

I was fortunate to hear Pollini in Tokyo and his Boulez 2nd Sonata was riveting. The same program had the 24 Chopin Preludes and Beethoven op.110.

[@musiconrecord6724]

What a program! Boulez live - wow!

[@Lachenmann7]

I heard his Brahms 1st concerto in Philadelphia, and the conducting was more memorable. I worship Pollini, but he was on autopilot that night.

[@ejb7969]

I heard him do Boulez 2 with the Diabelli Variations in London around 1991, and Stockhausen's Klavierstuck X in New York (don't remember the rest of the program) in the 1980s. Two tours de force!

[@jameskilcran3693]

Can you recommend any equality recordings of Kathleen Mary Ferrier the great English contralto? I would be grateful for any advice.

[@SkovgaardDK]

You are the man that got me into classical music, and I thank you for that👍 And again another great video..❤️

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank you - and so glad you have discovered classical music!

[@marlenemeldrum7382]

Thank you so much for such valuable information cpncerning Maestro Pollini...Pollini was indeed a giant in techique and brilliance in sound...an extrodinary Artist....we are all blessed to have his work on Videos, CDS regardless of the Sound...He was unbelievable as a pianist...wonderful Programm...thank you again😊

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thank toy for watching and commenting.

[@paolobigi59]

Beautiful survey, which finds me in full agreement. I would have added only the Fantasia and Sonata N.1 from Schumann. Thank you so much!

[@musiconrecord6724]

As I mentioned in another comment, the only reason I did not mention Schumann is because I find the solo piano music eludes me. Thanks for mentioning this recording!

[@idesof]

No such thing as a great Pollini recording. Technically efficient but poetically deficient.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Many are of that opinion - but not me, as I discuss in the video.

[@Nik-y9s]

Pollini habe ich ungern finanziert im Gegensatz zu Herbert von Karajan, dem ich seine Gobelins oberhalb der Cembali in Celerina zum Tanzen brachte mit Couperin, welcher den Gegenpapst in Avignon anhimmelte, wobei Pollini mehr als orthodox fromm christlich mir geschildert - ist es zutreffend ? - worden war. Arturo Benedettp Michelangeli hatte an mir einen Gefallen gefunden - er hatte bei mir nie auf Pollini hingewiesen.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Alas, I do not know German sufficiently well to translate, and googletranslate made a real hash of this. Would love to know what your comment is, though.....

[@67daltonknox]

The Petrouchka is my favorite Pollini recording... formidable.

[@jameslee2943]

Very informative and enjoyable. Thank you!

[@enricochestri]

Thank you very much for this tribute. Have always been a fan of Pollini's. I have a lot of Chopin (etudes, preludes, polonnaises, scherzi, nocturnes, etc), all the complete Beethoven sonatas and 5 concertos; the WTC book 1 by J S Bach, the last Schubert sonatas (but I prefer Brendel), and the Piano Quintet by Brahms (absolutely fantastic). I think he is the best interpreter of Beethoven. I wonder if, before passing away, he managed to complete book 2 of Bach's WTC.....

[@musiconrecord6724]

I wonder too..... I guess we'll find out.

[@ulfwernernielsen6708]

Thank you so much for this video . I will mention an LP for EMI from 1968 of Chopin : Nocturnes nos 4,5,7and 8 , Polonaises 5 and 6 and the first Ballade . The famous Prokofiev/ Stravinsky recording was his first DGG album and it was from 1971 . So he must have started 1960 as an EMI artist and then became a DGG artist 1971 . It is fascinating to think that Beethoven used 27 years to compose the 32 sonatas but Pollini used 39 years to record them.

[@musiconrecord6724]

I don't know this one.... will investigate.

[@MrKurtank]

May I request a 'deep-dive' in to the DG recording decisions where the result, "was there wasn't as much information in the groove". I'm somewhat familiar with the reduction in plastics quality due to the oil crisies of the time and the overall reduction in quality in production but if there's more, I'd love to hear it. Just found your channel and I've subb'd immediately. Thank you. I saw Pollini but once, in London, at the Royal Festival Hall in about '99, I think. He performed Schubert D.960. Alas, I can't relay that it was "the greatest experience" or any such encomium but I was aware of his presence, as the audience reverence and latterly friends and others reactions, who were wowed that I'd attended. Thanks again.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Thanks so much for all your feedback - and for subscribing. This article I wrote for Tracking Angle fills in all that detail concerning DG's vinyl pressings of the 70s. trackingangle.com/features/rewriting-history-deutsche-grammophon-s-groundbreaking-original-source-vinyl-reviewed

[@MrKurtank]

@@musiconrecord6724 Thank you.

[@angloart8410]

One of the most memorable recitals I ever attended was Pollini doing Schubert D960 and Beethoven op109 and 110.

[@musiconrecord6724]

Ok - that must have been incredible. So jealous. When was the concert?

[@angloart8410]

I don't know exactly when it was but it's probably longer ago than I think. Maybe mid to late 1990s. I think I saw him do the last three Beethoven sonatas in another recital around a similar time (but i might be miss-remembering), but its the Schubert that I recall most vividly - totally compelling and unsentimental, particularly the way he handled the first movement recapitulation - utterly transformative. @@musiconrecord6724

[@musiconrecord6724]

@@angloart8410 Wow!

[@gretareinarsson7461]

The Chopin etudes on Testament is a must for all piano enthusiasts and a must for all Pollini fans. The best recording as far as I’m concerned and much better then his DG record, which is as among the best as well.

[@musiconrecord6724]

So glad someone had heard this and commented. I will seek it out.

[@EmptyVee00000]

Up there with Ashkenazy.

[@cmtwei9605]

I'm privileged to have heard Pollini twice in London, playing Schubert and Beethoven and met him after one of these concerts for signing a big DG poster board. The Beethoven last sonatas set is a firm favourite, and I prefer the first release over the reissued 'Originals' in that the added ambience in the reissue makes the sound more muddled and less focused. I was introduced to these Beethoven sonatas by repeatedly playing them (then as cassette) at bedtime. I was also introduced to the Appassionata by recording over the radio of his concert from the Salzburg Festival. If DG is to take advantage of a reissue it won't be the same box but a new box to get listeners buying them all over again. But we don't need CDs any more when they can all fit into a Blu-ray disc.

[@musiconrecord6724]

You'd be amazed how many collectors still buy CDs..... Yes, they did that on some of the Originals - adding reverb, not always successfully. Incredible that you got to hear him in that repertoire and meet him.

[@cmtwei9605]

@@musiconrecord6724 I still buy CDs but each reissue in a huge box becomes a burden on shelf or floor space. The new Callas box is the case in point. Oh I forget I went to at least two more Pollini recitals when he did a Beethoven sonatas cycle.

[@musiconrecord6724]

@@cmtwei9605 Amazing! So jealous!

[@user-ys4og2vv8k]

Luckily we don't need expensive CDs or LPs to enjoy music anymore, because hi-res streaming is available for the fraction of the price...

[@musiconrecord6724]

YES. Which I should have mentioned.....