As a teenager in London, I had a part-time holiday job working at the HMV record store in Oxford Street. It was the biggest collection of classical albums in the country, perhaps in the world. The piano collection was enormous. We were allowed to play records from the stock and they had little booths the public could use to play them. During my lunch hour, I played recordings of the great pianists. One of my fellow employees was a piano student at the Royal Academy of Music, (who later became quite well known). We had many debates about who were the best pianists and realized how impossible it is to choose. It’s like great paintings: at this level you can’t choose. Sometimes you can pick out particular performances, such as Dinu Lipatti playing Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. ABM playing Beethoven sonatas was one of our picks; Richter playing the Schumann Waldszenen was one of my absolute favorites. I can’t recall how many times I went to concerts and sat there waiting for ABM to show up and play Beethoven. He defaulted so many times, but we just put up with it and kept on going back; Richter couldn’t help it: the Russian government kept on detaining him just to jerk everybody around; but we knew how very special ABM was; nobody ever lost a temper over it; the cafes around the concert halls would fill up and we talked our way through the music we hadn’t heard. I had to walk from our house in Wimbledon to get to the concerts; it took hours and we would detour to our homes and join up in groups. My mother didn’t like my long absences; my father would say, “Oh well, my dear, you had better be thankful that he prefers this stuff to the Beatles, where he’s going to become infatuated with girls that you might find a little too ‘adventurous’ for your taste”. Daddy had a way of putting things that I tried to emulate with my own kids. My bedroom was right above his study; I grew up going to sleep with the great piano classics; there were specific artists that he played a lot; Michelangeli was one.
Grande tra i grandi. Riposa in pace. Hai vissuto l’arte per la nostra felicità. Il nostro grazie non è mai abbastanza. L’Italia ingrata ti onorerà sempre più, per sempre.
Bravissimo Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995). I would love to have heard him live. I was just watching another RU-vid video of him playing in 1964, a stellar performance of Beethoven's great Opus 111 sonata. He fascinates me. He didn't like applause at the end of concerts, believing that it was the composers who deserved the applause. Apparently he would practise for 8 to 10 hours a day, perfecting his technique on a piece first and then working on the interpretation. He had been a pilot during the Second World War and when captured by the Germans late in the war, after Italy had been re-taken by the Allies, Michelangeli's plane was shot down. He said that the Germans who held him prisoner whipped his hands when they found out he was a pianist, his career having started before the war. He had quite a few health problems. Michelangeli was a fine teacher, Pollini being one of his pupils. You have to admire the seriousness and dedication. A true artist and I hope he is still revered in Italy, even if he left that country in the late 1960s. This happened because a recording label which he co-owned had gone bust and the authorities confiscated two of Michelangeli's grand pianos. He never forgave his fellow countrymen and would only perform in the Vatican thereafter, it seems he was deeply religious. In his will he requested that the nature of his final illness be kept a secret and he didn't even have a gravestone in the small Swiss churchyard where he was buried. A fascinating character to be sure.
A.B Michelangelo, IS ust the divine man of the Piano that share humbly his knowledge to anyone. And knew that applause is a disturbance after a masterpieces, silence should be stay hearing the public breath - he was just anthena / transmitter of the composer
00:40 Beethoven Piano Sonata No.12 in A-flat major, op.26 0:00:40 I. Andante Con Variazioni 0:08:45 II. Scherzo: Allegro Molto 0:11:36 III. Marcia Funebre Sulla Morte D'Un Eroe 0:17:36 IV. Allegro 21:03 Beethoven Piano Sonata No.11 in B-flat major, op.22 0:21:03 I. Allegro Con brio 0:28:36 II. Adagio Con Molta Espressione 0:37:22 III. Minuetto 0:40:33 IV. Rondo - Allegretto 47:47 Schubert Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 537 0:47:47 I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo 0:58:46 II. Allegretto quasi andantino 1:09:28 III. Allegro vivace 1:12:59 Brahms Four Ballades, Op. 10 1:12:59 No.1 in D minor: Andante 1:17:47 No.2 in D: Andante 1:25:16 No.3 in B minor: Intermezzo - Allegro 1:29:40 No.4 in B: Andante con moto
Gosh, this brings back memories. I heard him many times in Munich in the 70s and 80s, where he played almost every year. The first time I heard him was a shock. His pianistic perfection was downright distracting. I had no idea a piano could sound so smooth, that such control was possible, that such polished sound surfaces could be produced. And his demeanor! Seemingly disdainful of the audience, I'm tempted to say arrogant. But it was obvious that he labored under the weight of his absolute artistic standards. Is there anybody alive today who is so completely committed to an artistic vision?
Perfection! Genius musician. Impeccable technique. A totally absorbed perfectionist. He’s totally focused on the music. It’s rather funny how he does not even smile or bow to the audience. He just nods his head briefly as if to say to them, “Oh, are you still here?” He looks like he can barely contain his revulsion when he has to acknowledge them! He did not like giving concerts. A very very great artist!
Maybe it was because it was his parents who forced him to practice and he resented being a concert pianist. (pure humorous conjecture on my part, but, it IS, imo, a good possible analysis.) :)
rsjmd Great musicians are never forced to practice. They are drawn to music by a tremendous passion. They will practice 12 hours per day and nod even notice the time passing. That’s how they get so good. It’s only the unmusical child who has to be forced to practice.
Red Rakham When I’m in the groove, I can practice all day and never even notice the passage of the time. The more you practice, the better you get and the more joyful the experience of making music. So you practice even more!
I was there. C'ero anch'io. Mi pare di essermi riconosciuto nel video, fra il pubblico, insieme a mio padre e alla mia futura moglie. Michelangeli era un mio idolo e l'avevo già sentito suonare alla Tonhalle di Zurigo, qualche anno prima, quand'ero ancora studente. Se non ricordo male, il concerto di Lugano fu eseguito due volte per poter accogliere il numeroso pubblico che non avrebbe trovato posto allo Studio Radio. Il concerto, sempre se ricordo bene, era infatti previsto nel più vasto Palazzo dei Congressi ma il Maestro s'era rifiutato di suonare in quel luogo, dall'acustica notoriamente pessima. Noi luganesi avemmo la grande fortuna di ospitarlo per non pochi anni, fino alla sua scomparsa. Grazie per questo video!
Al di la della cioccolata, delle montagne, e delle banche, non potevate fare altrimenti... che ospitare dei genii in tutte le discipline anche perché questo è il vostro destino...
Io ricordavo addirittura tre concerti dei quali uno soltanto registrato con la televisione. Ricordo le telecamere. Di lì a poco uscì per la ddg le ballate di Brahms e la sonata di Schubert. Il disco vantava l'uso di uno Stenway di 60 anni. Non seppi mai di una registrazione in studio delle sonate di Beethoven. Credo fosse l'ultimo disco a parte i preludi di Debussy II volume molto più tardi.
Великий пианист! С первой ноты, берет начало музыкальная мысль, время останавливается, начинается повествование. Одна большая линия и мельчайшие подробности интонирования. Истинный гений, слушаю его исполнение и погружаюсь в лучший мир, словно читаю книгу в удобном месте, ни куда не спеша и ничего вокруг не замечая.
Great thoughts that mirror my own! Thank you for not picking the performance or the performer to pieces as some do. Just get lost in the beauty of it all. Cheers Jan
Sin ser una persona con conocimientos musicales desde el punto de vista académico, sino solo un aficionado a la música clásica, quiero decir que Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli me interesó desde el primer momento. Su técnica, su precisión.. Michelangeli forma parte de la última generación de músicos que no son deudores de la publicidad, de las redes sociales... Otra época.
Mia amatissima Italia !! Terra metavigliosa , di geni , di poesia !!! Sono fiero di essere nato nel paese piu straordinario del mondo!!! Michelangeli un luminoso esempio !!! VIVA ITALIA !°°°
renato45222 non dobbiamo fare di tutta l'erba un fascio, io sono uno dei giovani che lo conosce, come altri in questa fascia d'età. È stato anche maestro del mio maestro. Se fosse nato in Germania o in qualche altro paese magari non sarebbe nemmeno diventato chi è diventato. 👍
malgrado la "mala gestio" questa martoriata Italia, per l'atmosfera che si respira, riesce a partorire, ancora adesso, persone straordinarie che per fortuna vengono apprezzate dagli stranieri.
MA È MAI POSSIBILE CHE VEDO SEMPRE PARLARE MALE DELL ITALIA? NEANCHE QUELLI CHE ARRIVANO DAL TERZO MONDO PARLANO COSÌ MALE DEL LORO PAESE . DOVETE ELOGIARE ALLA MASSIMA POTENZA LA VOSTRA NAZIONE NON FA NULLA SE CI SONO DELLE COSE CHE NON SONO COME VOI VOLETE È LA VOSTRA PATRIA E AVETE L OBBLIGO ASSOLUTO DI ESALTARLA SEMPRE E IN QUALSIASI CASO. COSA ANDATE A PENSARE A MICHELANGELI? ERA UN ARTISTA CHE SAPEVA LE SUE COSE CHE A NOI NON CI DEVONO RIGUARDARE.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (5 de enero de 1920 - 12 de junio de 1995) fue un pianista italiano. Es considerado como uno de los grandes virtuosos del piano del siglo XX. También se le considera el pianista italiano más importante después de Ferruccio Busoni. Nació en Brescia, en el norte de Italia. Sus primeras clases de música le fueron impartidas a los 3 años, al principio con el violín, que pronto cambió por el piano. A los diez años entró al Conservatorio de Milán. En 1938, a sus 18 años, comenzó su carrera musical internacional al concurrir al concurso Eugène-Ysaÿe celebrado en Bruselas, donde acabó en 7 posición (Arthur Rubinstein era miembro del jurado y quien otorgaba los premios. Dio el primer premio a Emil Gilels, y de Michelangeli dijo que su interpretación fue insatisfactoria, pero que mostró una técnica impecable). Un año después ganó el primer premio en el Festival Internacional de Ginebra donde fue aclamado como un nuevo Liszt por el pianista y presidente del jurado Alfred Cortot. Michelangeli fue conocido por sus perfectas interpretaciones en cuanto a las notas se refiere. El crítico musical Harold Schonberg dijo de él: Sus dedos no pueden errar al golpear una tecla o emborronar un pasaje al igual que una bala no puede cambiar de dirección cuando ya ha sido disparada. Lo misterioso de Michelangeli es que en muchas piezas románticas, él parece inseguro emocionalmente, ya que su indefectuosa técnica perturba el fluir musical. El profesor y comentarista David Dubal añade que fue el mejor con las primeras obras de Beethoven pero que parecía inseguro interpretando Chopin y diabólico en obras como la Chaconne de Bach-Busoni o en las Variaciones Paganini de Brahms. Entre sus discípulos se destaca la argentina Martha Argerich quien estudió con él en 1960. Su repertorio era notablemente pequeño para un pianista con su prestigio. Debido a su obsesivo perfeccionamiento muy pocas de sus grabaciones fueron sacadas al mercado durante su vida, pero fueron aumentadas por numerosas grabaciones no autorizadas de sus conciertos en directo. Sus grabaciones autorizadas más destacadas fueron sus interpretaciones en directo en Londres del Gaspard de la Nuit de Ravel, la Sonata para piano nº2 en si bemol menor de Chopin, el Carnaval op.9 de Robert Schumann y Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26. Benedetti Michelangeli era un gran divulgador de la etnomusicología y estimador de la canto oral como origen de la canción popular de la tradición oral (es decir la genuina música folclórica ), esto particularmente en vista de su gran pasión por las áreas rurales montañosas del área trentina (allí aún resuenan los ecos del yodel suizo-tirolés). Los diecinueve armonizaciones de las canciones populares que dedicaron al coro de la S.A.T. de Trento representan su solamente actividad como compositor: una producción pequeña, en la cual pero la elegancia inmensurable del estilística está todo el incluido que la tiene siempre contraddistinto. Michelangeli fue hipocondríaco y también famoso por cancelar algunos de sus recitales en el último minuto. Su último concierto fue el 7 de mayo de 1993 en Hamburgo. Después murió tras una larga enfermedad en Lugano el 12 de junio de 1995.
Io ablo espanol pero non son capabie de escibirlo pero quiero dicirte que tu es maravilloso e que tu ( y non los Italianos ) ha dicho exactamente todo y el mehor "commento" escibido por ARTURO BENEDETTI MICHELANGELI.....1000...GRACIAS.....!!!!!!!!!
Had the pleasure of hearing him in person in Washington DC in the late sixties. The audience had to wait outside the auditorium for half an hour because he was still practicing. Some of us students were listening and peeping through a crack in the door. Fantastic playing!
Oh my. When I am tired of weird faces and pointless gestures of modern pianists, I turned Michelangeli up. Never got disappointed. He sound much tasteful than them.
There is just something that hit me so deeply with that camera shot at 1:32:19...from a distance, being in the audience you can not understand how much work a concert artist must invest in to get to such a unearthly high point as this. Just as how you also could not see the perspiration on his face from the audience, where that drop of sweat symbolizes how much is demanded of you, and close up, only Arturo knew that for himself. And he hit it, he was beyond successful.
I learned so much from the many wonderful comments about Michelangeli the man, his single mindedness towards his life's vocation, an artist whose gift, a daily craft, he gave to the world his whole life. This is the best of RU-vid.
Ele chega, abre o piano, assenta e começa a tocar. Logos somos tomados por uma grande beleza. É Arturo, com sua grande tecnilidade e originalidade. Amigo, obrigado.
Il lavoro di de-personalizzazione assoluta, al fine di far suonare la Musica da sè (lo spartito che si suona), crea un vuoto che è movimento. Di più, è una TENSIONE. A volte, insostenibile. Siamo nella metafisica, quando ascoltiamo Lui. Il paradosso è proprio qui: lui è in quanto non è presente nel suono. Arturo si riconosce subito, perché fa suonare la Musica.
Blink when you change a chord. 😖 He's famously regarded as the "perfect pianist" and said to have never been heard to make a single mistake in concert. Wonderfully efficient and supremely delicate technique. Very much focusing on the fingertips. If you want a crystal clear and focused sound, he's your pianist! He is not full of arm weight, deep into the keys pianist, but his light, delicate, and focused touch make his articulation, dynamic control, shape, and overall sound very refined and approachable. His pedal control and release control should also not be understated. He seemed depressed, being famously quoted as saying "You see, so much applause, so much public. Then, in half an hour, you feel alone more than before.",[ but he was the the very embodiment of delicatissimo: always considerate and tactful, just like he hoped his listeners and audience was/are. I greatly admire his playing and approach. He caressed, coddled, and nurtured the piano and his sound. Thank you for sharing this sweet treat!
Grandissimo bravissimo geniale solista pianista Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli che interpreta esegue tre compositori artisti del periodo Romanticismo del 19 secolo
Com que dignidade tratava o piano. Que elegância ao tocar. Sonoridade única. Interpretação majestosa. Um gênio que tinha medo de tocar ao vivo tamanha a sua grandiosidade. Bravissimo!
+Robert Gelfand Totally agree. I heard him three times in recital in the late 60s and the playing was fabulous, almost unbelievable. His control was unequaled, even by Horowitz. He was rather aloof, but that somehow added to the experience. I have never quite recovered from his performance of Gaspard de la Nuit. Shattering.
NOT TRUE!! Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli not The Best greatest pianists ever! ABM played The second-rated concertos like Mozart piano concerto no 15 Haydn concerto G major Liszt piano concerto no 1!! ABM never played The Best piano concertos like Mozart 24 Brahms 1-2 Chopin 1-2 Prokoviev 1-3 Rachmaninov 1-3 Saint-Saens piano concerto no 2! JS Bach Piano Concerto no 1 ( Harpsichord concerto 1052) SO THE CYBORG HUMAN MACHINE KING ROBOT PIANIST EVER ABM i am going to bash distroy Grieg concerto With brutal accent after brutal accent after brutal accent! The Best greatest pianists of All Time Are Really=Artur Rubinstein ( THE GOD!) Grigory Sokolov ( THE TITAN OF THE PIANO THE GIANT OF THE PIANO) Emil Gilels=( THE KING OF ALL PIANISTS) Wilhelm Kempff ( The most beautiful piano sound Ever!!) Radu Lupu ( The most colorful piano sound Ever!) Vladimir Ashkenazy ( The most colorful volcanic piano sound Ever) Sviatoslav Richter Mikhail Pletnev ( The most Powerful Ever!) Alexei Lubimov ( The Genius no 1! Mozart piano concerto no 27!) Maurizio Pollini( The Genius no 2) ( The piano Proffesor Malinin Said that Mozart playing is The most difficult! The Best greatest Mozart piano concertos players Are really=Mozart 17 Dezo Ranki Mozart 18 Vladimir Ashkenazy Mozart 19 Radu Lupu Mozart 20 Vladimir Ashkenazy Mozart 21 Radu Lupu ( The others The Good=Artur Rubinstein Murray Perahia Stanislav Bunin Vladimir Ashkenazy Maurizio Pollini) Mozart 22 Laura Mikkola Natalia Trull Jörg Demus Robert Casadesus Mozart 23 Solomon Cutner( The others The Good=Wilhelm Kempff Grigory Sokolov Vladimir Horowitz Radu Lupu Vladimir Ashkenazy Murray Perahia Stanislav Bunin) Mozart 24 Grigory Sokolov Maria Grinberg ( The Good=Wilhelm Kempff Grigory Sokolov Vladimir Horowitz Radu Lupu Vladimir Ashkenazy Maurizio Pollini) Mozart 24 Grigory Sokolov Maria Grinberg ( The Good=Wilhelm Kempff Mikhail Pletnev Gina Bachauer) Mozart 25 Murray Perahia Mozart 27 Alexei Lubimov ( The others=Emil Gilels Vladimir Ashkenazy Murray Perahia Stanislav Bunin Natalia Trull)
I admire the magnificent workmanship of Hoffmann, Lipatti, Horowitz, Richter, Gould and others, but MICHELANGELI from a completely different, Astral World, This is already not skill but DIVINE BREATH...
Better ones than yours=Emil Gilels ( The King) Artur Rubinstein ( The God) Grigory Sokolov ( The Titan of The piano The Giant of The piano) Wilhelm Kempff ( The most beautiful piano sound Ever) Sviatoslav Richter Mikhail Pletnev ( The most Powerful Ever) Stanislav Igolinsky ( better than Lipatti).Andrei Gavrilov ( The only one who follows the notes correct tempo score Tchaikovsky piano concerto no 1 playing!). Dimitri Bashkirov ( The Best piano sound Ever for Mendelssohn piano concerto no 1! Bashkirov The Best piano sound Ever for Schumann piano concerto) Vladimir Ashkenazy ( The most colorful volcanic piano sound Ever) Alexei Lubimov ( The Genius no 1) Maurizio Pollini ( The Genius no 2).Maria Grinberg ( Mozart piano concerto no 24! Maria The most passion! Maria The most fierce!).Rosa Tamarkina ( The most raw energy ever) Natalia Trull ( THE QUEEN TIGER POWER NATALIA TRULL!! Prokoviev piano concerto no 3!!!).
@@RaineriHakkarainen And yet, instead of enjoying the performances of those you like, you are once again here, trolling every video of Michelangeli without any substantive critique, but always pasting the same two or three comments in which basically provide an extract from the yellow pages of piano players
He cares more about the music than the audience. You may call this arrogant. And he missed or canceled performance if he is not in the mood (best conditions) to play. He is called on my view an inconvenient musician. Despite all these he is my favorite with unique sound quality and mostly interpretative skill, the grand and grandiose Italian master.
The last ballade is piano playing and music listening at the highest level one can experience...Human being can work out something like this. Thi brings to me fear wonder and awe at the same time!
that`s exactly what i think. listening to his playing this ballade evokes the idea of what brahms sound space might have been like when this music evolved in his mind
Michelangeli's playing shocks the soul, in the best way. The playing is too good, I can hardly focus on the music. Every note makes me think, what on Earth... how?
A great production to honour a great artist, thank you for sharing. There is obviously no need to comment on ABM, however I was impressed a lot by the director and his film crew. It is so interesting to have all the different angles and the timing is Phantastic IMO.They understand a lot of music!
Another parallel was their passion for driving automobiles. Gould always had a new Lincoln Continental and he would drive hundreds of miles weekly. Michelangeli had a passion for brand new Ferrari's and was allegedly an excellent mechanic!
@@TB-us7el 😆- That's absolutely true, but in Michelangeli's case - he was actually one of Enzo Ferrari's close friends... Neither of them were exactly known for being 'easy with friendships.' Arturo had a special relationship with Ferrari and he had many of the very best cars.
This playing of Schubert D537 is so majestic and so perfect. I don’t like the staggered melody from left to right hand, but it was a popular style of the time and Michelangeli was its master; he remains one of the only pianists I will tolerate doing it!
The demands for absolute precision in a theme-and-variation piece, especially one from Beethoven, are so brilliantly met here by Michelangeli, who is often criticized for being even too perfect. But not here: I can imagine Beethoven hearing him perform these variations and immediately adding more variations of absolute genius, and bewildering technical difficulty, especially for Arturo. Talking of Artur(o)s: Schnabel might have had that effect on Beethoven as well. (The maestro loved great performers of his work, as we know from his dedications to Joachim.)
Sono ovviamente opinioni, ma dubito che possa realizzarsi un'esecuzione più nitida, rigorosa, priva di incertezze di questa e insieme altrettanto sentita, interpretata. Tecnicamente Michelangeli ha rappresentato un punto non superabile
