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Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920 – 1995) Italian Pianist
Hailed as the greatest technician of his time, Michelangeli often displayed a detached and dispassionate approach to music. He could be impulsive and willful and sometimes edited the music to suit his interpretation. But he also conveyed deep concentration and communion with the spirit of the composer. His Debussy Preludes on DG 427391 are the most successful example of this style. His highly personal approach is evident in his Brahms Paganini Variations on EMI 64490 and Music & Arts 817.
A live BBC broadcast from 1959 on Music & Arts 955 includes the Chopin Sonata no. 2, the Clementi Sonata b flat, opus 12, no. 1, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. It is dark and moody. The Beethoven Sonata no. 32, Scarlatti, and Galuppi Sonata on Decca 417772 are a typically idiosyncratic program.
Music & Arts 4296 has a Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5 with Celibidache conducting. This recording is restless and passionate, much better than the Concerto recordings with Giulini on DG.
