Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, born on 5 January 1920 near the town of Brescia, Italy, was renowned for his impeccable technique, precision, and expressive restraint. A recluse and perfectionist, Michelangeli was a master of both technical virtuosity and emotional depth, often spending years perfecting his repertoire. His performances of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Debussy remain legendary, characterised by clarity, control, and subtlety.
One of the world’s legendary pianists, Michelangeli, often shied away from interviews and publicity. However, his concerts were the stuff of legend, and his playing was often described as “sculptural.” To commemorate his birthday on 5 January, we decided to feature 5 of his immortal solo piano interpretations.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Plays Chopin’s Ballade in G minor, Op. 23
Chopin’s Ballades
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Michelangeli’s interpretations of Chopin are often hailed as among the most refined and technically impeccable in the piano world. His playing is characterised by an extraordinary control of sound, with every note carefully shaped and articulated. His approach to Chopin emphasises clarity and precision, bringing out the nuances of Chopin’s delicate phrasing and dynamic contrasts. He also focused on the purity of tone and the subtlety of emotional expression.
Sporting impeccable technique, Michelangeli was able to draw a range of colours and textures from the instruments. His playing style was always precise yet never mechanical, blending technical mastery with a deep understanding of Chopin’s music. His interpretations are frequently seen as reserved, yet they are deeply introspective. Highlighting the beauty of the melodic lines and harmonies, Michelangeli’s Chopin is both captivating and profoundly expressive.
Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano)
Schumann’s Carnaval
To describe Michelangeli as a perfectionist would be an understatement. We know that he spent his career polishing a relatively small repertoire, and he took scrupulous care in finding the right instruments, sound and interpretive conditions for his performances and recordings. And as you can clearly hear in his recording of Schumann’s Carnaval, that approach served him incredibly well for illuminating the complexity of Schumann’s emotional landscape. Each phrase is approached with careful attention to detail, rendering them with remarkable clarity and nuance.
His technical mastery was especially suited to Schumann’s intricate, often elusive textures. The articulation of rapid passagework is clean and controlled, while his lyrical lines flow with natural expressiveness, avoiding sentimentality. His focus on balance and clarity offers a refreshing perspective on Schumann’s music, revealing the subtleties and depths of his emotional world without overwhelming the listener. Michelangeli’s performances are always thoughtful and intellectually engaging, but they retain a sense of warmth and intimacy throughout.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Plays Beethoven’s Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Beethoven’s Sonata
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, 1960
Michelangeli had his detractors, specifically when it came to playing Beethoven. As a critic writes, “there is intellectual froideur about his playing of Beethoven which verges on the disdainful and which is sometimes more than off-putting: it is hateful…where is the emotional commitment?” To be sure, Michelangeli approached Beethoven’s music with a clear focus on structure and clarity, allowing the architectural design to shine through. And, all emotions were to be found in the music and not artificially supplied by the performer.
Michelangeli navigates Beethoven’s complex textures with ease, while his sense of proportion ensures that the larger-scale structure remains intact. Through his precise phrasing and unwavering focus on clarity, Michelangeli’s Beethoven is at once intellectual and deeply expressive, inviting listeners to experience the music from a fresh, almost classical perspective.
Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano)
Ravel’s Gaspard
As the music critic Harold Schonberg writes, “Michelangeli’s fingers can no more hit a wrong note or smudge a passage than a bullet can be veered off course once it has been fired…” In Gaspard, Michelangeli’s tonal control is nothing short of extraordinary. From the shimmering textures in Ondine to the energy of Le Gibet, and the fiery, tempestuous spirit of Scarbo, Michelangeli honours Ravel’s precise dynamic, pedalling, and phrasing “by inhumanly controlling gradations of touch and tone.”
Debussy’s Préludes
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Michelangeli’s interpretation of Debussy’s Préludes is marked by exceptional tone control, bringing out the piano’s colouristic potential with precision. In pieces like La fille aux cheveux de lin and Feux d’artifice, he evokes a wide range of timbres and moods, from delicate shimmer to ethereal qualities, without overstatement. As a critic writes, “Michelangeli isn’t interested in Debussy as pastel music, where the music slows and gets bogged down by hanging on every nuance. He is not interested in impressionistic dithering, but every note counts in his performance.” In Michelangeli’s best performances, it is indeed possible to hear well-known pieces for the first time.
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