Maurizio Pollini - Piano recital (excerpt) - Milan, 2023

Luigi Nono (1924-1990)
Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)
Program:
1. Schönberg: Sechs kleine Klavierstücke op. 19
I Leicht, zart
II Langsam
III Sehr langsam Viertel
IV Rasch aber leicht
V Etwas rasch
VI Sehr langsam
2. Nono: …sofferte onde serene…
per pianoforte e nastro magnetico
Live performance. Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy. February 13th, 2023. Maurizio Pollini, pianist. No copyright infringement intended.
The pianist had a night off and this excerpt is the only part of the recital worth listening to. Unfortunately, the newfound assertiveness he enjoyed in May 2022 with Chopin (see my other post) did not carry over in the performances I heard afterwards. Here, Pollini gives us a good pperformance of op. 19 with a few minor smudges. I think Sofferte onde serene is also worth a try. Although this is not his best rendition of Nono's work, the Italian pianist still manages to obtain some interesting sound effects.
Many people wonder why Pollini insists on playing in public despite his obvious fatigue. I think that Pollini's motivation for persisting in playing in public lies in his cultural and civic commitment as an artist. Although some people think that not even this manifestation of coherence and courage counterbalances the criticism or the mockery of some bashers, I believe that the artist alone is his own judge in such a personal matter. If he is willing to play in public in the years to come, I will continue to listen to him. Hopefully, some moment of revelation will still dazzle me while Maestro Pollini moves his hands on the keyboard. Furthermore, Pollini's legacy as a pianist of historical importance will not be diminished by a few unsuccessful performances. On the other hand, we will quickly forget the venom of his detractors who never miss the opportunity to demonstrate their narrow-mindedness. The asshole award goes to the hypocrites who boast a concern about the exploitation of Pollini's image by the theaters that host him, the pseudo-realists who scold the audiences of the late Pollini for their excessive benevolence, and the so-called 'experts' who are self-satisfied in censoring his mistakes. The cult of personality is certainly not the main motivation that drives the audiences to keep listening to Pollini, just as theaters don't host him solely for a publicity stunt. No wonder these very superficial people are incapable of moving beyond such petty thoughts.
PS this time I was equipped with better tools.