The Pollini Project – Stockhausen, Schumann, Chopin, Royal Festival Hall May 25, 2011, by Gabriel Kellett
The Pollini Project – Stockhausen, Schumann, Chopin
Royal Festival Hall
May 25, 2011
Maurizio Pollini, piano
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Klavierstück VII
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Klavierstück IX
Robert Schumann: Concert sans orchestre (First version of Piano Sonata in F minor, Op.14)
Fryderyk Chopin: Prélude in C sharp minor, Op.45
Fryderyk Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp, Op.60
Fryderyk Chopin: Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52
Fryderyk Chopin: Berceuse in D flat, Op.57
Fryderyk Chopin: Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor, Op.31
More years ago than I care to remember (OK, about ten), Edward Moore, my piano teacher at university, told me he used to be a great fan of Maurizio Pollini, but had grown disenchanted with him because he thought his playing had become completely dry, overly safe and devoid of emotion. Perhaps because he was by far the best teacher I'd ever had, I took this opinion seriously and allowed it to influence my perception of Pollini ever after, remaining a devout sceptic despite his evidently immense popularity. Even when I was working at the Royal Festival Hall, struggling to cope with the amount of CD sales generated by a signing after one of his concerts, I remained unmoved. Now, in the middle of the 'Pollini Project' (i.e. a series of five concerts spread over a period of as many months, rather than his usual one per year), it seems a good time finally to attempt to form my own opinion of him as he is today, perhaps eventually investigating his back catalogue and attempting to uncover any discernible process of change in his playing.
