Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995)
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"Those big hands of his gobble up chords and wide-spaced figurations like a computer
faced with a row of figures"
1966-69; USA tour
​1966 After more than fifteen years, he embarks on his third North American tour. In Bologna, he gives his first concert with Sergiu Celibidache. In the presence of Pope Paul VI, he performs his third Vatican concert with Agostino Orizio
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A year later, on January 21st, 1966, he returned to play in Carnegie Hall for the first time in 15 years. A few days earlier [6 January] his performance of Beethoven’s Emperor with William Steinberg and the New York Philharmonic drew raves, and was captured on tape by a musical bootlegger. (John Bell Young)
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'The Elgar was interesting because it is a novelty; the Beethoven because it re- ceived so spectacular a performance at the hands of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and the orchestra conducted by William Steinberg. He does not make too many appearances, nor does he record very much, but he is spoken about in awed whispers. Last night he played one of the most remarkable perform- ances of the “Emperor" Concerto that has been heard hereabout for years. For one thing, it was absolutely limpid and pellucid. Piano playing sounds so easy when that kind of hands are at work. From the first smashing E flat chord and the following arpeggios, it was clear that a pianist of tremendous authority was engaged with the “Emperor." And so it turned out. . Now it remains to be seen if the pianist is as authoritative in other schools of music. His forthcoming recital will further expose his talents. But one thing can be said: Mr. Michelangell is a much more mature artist than he was at his last appearances here. And if his recital matches the "Emperor" last night, he is one of the world's supreme pianists.' (Harold C. Schonberg)
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January 13, 1966: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, Illinois (Radio Broadcast | FLAC)
· Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat major, Op.73 (Emperor)
– André Previn / Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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Friday 21 January, 1966: Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York
(Audience Recording,  LISTEN)
Bach/Busoni: Chaconne from Violin Partita No.2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op.111
Debussy: Images (Book I & II)
Chopin: Berceuse in D-flat major, Op.57; Scherzo No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.31
Encores:
· Mompou: Canción y Danza No.1
· Mompou: Canción from Canción y Danza No.6
· Chopin: Waltz in E-flat major, Op.posth (B.46)
· Scarlatti: Sonata in A major, K.322
· Grieg: Lyric Piece in E major, Op.68 No.5 (Cradle Song)
This was Michelangeli’s first Carnegie Hall recital in 16 years. “Every pianist in New York” was present, including at least Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz, but Rubinstein had left after intermission!
'In some respects, it was a superb recital, in others a puzzling one. Then Chaconne was an example of ferocious - there is no other word - virtuosity. Those big hands of his gobble up chords and wide-spaced figurations like a computer faced with a row of figures. Debussy is not played very much these days, and the Images, the second book especially, are a real novelty. Parts of the Beethoven were propulsive, romantic, large-scaled. But for the purist - and everybody these days is a purist where Op.111 is concerned - there were an unsettling number of little rhythmic changes, variations in tempo, curious accents, breaks in phrase. To this mind, the performance was more a collection of marvellous pianist effects than a unified conception.' (Harold C. Schonberg)
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In the Beethoven 'what he lacks is patience with structure, interest in architecture, to sustain a long line of thought and carry through a saturating mood.' SR, 5 February 1966
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'In interview, two interpreters flanked him-one, his traveling companion and lawyer, Carlo Palmisano, the other an American press agent.'
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The Jornal do Brasil 22 March & 1 April 1966 (the irony of April Fools' Day - Dia das Mentiras, or Dia dos Bobos in Portuguese) announces that ABM will give two recitals in August in Rio de Janeiro (as well as a visit from Teatro dei Piccoli, the Italian puppet theatre...
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February 24, 1967: Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York (Audience Recording | AAC256)
· Scarlatti: Five Sonatas
o K.11 in C minor
o K.159 in C major
o K.322 in A major
o K.9 in D minor
o K.27 in B minor
· Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.3 in C major, Op.2 No.3
· Debussy: Children’s Corner (Suite)
· Chopin: Three Mazurkas
o Op.33 No.1 in G-sharp minor
o Op.30 No.3 in D-flat major
o Op.33 No.4 in B minor
· Chopin: Fantasy in F minor, Op.49
Encore:
· Debussy: Reflets dans l’eau (Images, Book I No.1)
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February 26, 1967: Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts (programme as 24th)
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The price of his stratospheric standards was dear. According to Leiser, he played only 17 concerts world wide in the 1966-67 season, "Everybody thought he was playing 80 concerts a season, and it looked as if he was, because he was playing all over the world. That he limited his engagements to such an extent was hardly the frivolous gesture of a male prima donna, but an exercise of artistic authority." ​
1967 Israel
​First tour in Israel.
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16 January 1967, Tel Aviv with Israel Philharmonic and Carlo Maria Giulini. Mozart No. 20 in D minor K466
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June 17 or 23, 1967: Brescia, Italy
Chopin: Six Mazurkas & Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op.23
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Sunday, 3 September, 1967: Place des Arts (Théâtre Maisonneuve), Montréal, Canada.
The World Festival: Italy at Expo. An all-Chopin recital.
Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor
Six Mazurkas -
Op.68 No.4 in F minor
Op.41 No.3 in A-flat major
Op.33 No.1 in G-sharp minor
Op.30 No.3 in D-flat major
Op.59 No.3 in F-sharp minor
Op.33 No.4 in B minor
Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op.23
Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op.22
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​Jacob Siskind in a very long review forThe Gazette wrote: 'A mass of contradictions. The most exciting event to date in this festival. There is no doubt about Michelangeli's disdain for his audience, and there is no doubt whatever that he enjoys performing in public. He brought his own piano and tuner from Italy. Michelangeli's Chopin has a warmth and a roundness that are rarely heard today. There is never an ugly note. A capacity to elicit a pianissimo of gossamer delicacy. In the melody of the Funeral March trio, he made the piano sing as I have never heard it before. Only in the polonaise, did we see the playful side of this artist. The brilliance of the performance, all the more exciting for its understatement, placed it on an order quite above everything I have ever heard. Josef Hofmann might have equalled this in his prime. Only he had an equally impish sense of humour. We can only fervently pray that Michelangeli will want to return.'
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William Littler in the Toronto Star (5.9.67) was less enthusiastic: 'A great pianist - but he's no great musician. He played as though he had never heard another pianist. His ideas were often unorthodox but they were never uninteresting. He did things with the music.' Littler seems a little paradoxical, exclaiming of the 6 Mazurkas, Ballade and Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante: 'What new voices and accents he brought out in these!', yet concluding: 'He is probably one of the greatest pianists alive who is not a great musician.'​
6 Chopin Mazurkas at a 4 November, 1967 Salzburg: watch here
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'Some truly phenomenal film footage of Michelangeli playing 6 Chopin Mazurkas at a November 4th, 1967 Salzburg recital: gorgeous colours, fluid phrasing, incredible dynamic nuancing, and pedal effects.' Mark Ainsley
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November 19, 1967: Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden (Radio Broadcast | AAC256)
· Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54
– Sergiu Celibidache / Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
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c.1967
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' (filmed)
Jan Krenz conducts Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra
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1968: Istra Concert Hall, Zagreb, Yugoslavia (Radio Broadcast | FLAC)
· Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat major, Op.73 (Emperor)
– Milan Horvat / Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra
– Cantus 988 984 960 92
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June 4, 1968: Lugano, Switzerland (Radio Broadcast | FLAC)
· Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.35
· Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26
· Debussy: Children’s Corner (Suite)
– Aura 978-3-86562-779-7
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June 10, 1968: Teatro Grande, Brescia, Italy (Radio Broadcast | AAC256)
– International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo –
· Haydn: Piano Concerto No.11 in D major, Hob.XVIII:11
Encore:
· Haydn: Piano Concerto No.11 in D major, Hob.XVIII:11 – III
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13 June 1968, Teatro Novelli, Rimini, Italy: Mozart K415 with Orchestra Gasparo da Saló.
14 June 1968, Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo
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Monday 4 November 1968, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada.
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26 November 1968: Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York
Clementi: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op.12 No.1
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26
Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
'Last night, at the top of his form, he played an entire concert in such a way that there simply was no criticizing it. Mr. Michelangeli has very quiet way of playing the piano. He sits on a cushioned seat, his torso is upright, and there is an air of Olympian detachment about him. The Clementi is not one of the more interesting sonatas of the period, though it has some technical touches in advance of its day. These include octaves and thirds, both great specialties. Mr. Michelangeli played the sonata in a limpid manner, rather lavish with the pedal but always clear in articulation. The last movement, a theme and variations, has some tricky things in it. and the pianist nonchalantly took care of the figurations in the airiest way possible.
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'As for both Ravel pieces, they were amazing. The "Valses nobles et sentimentales" were exquisite musically and flawless pianistically. Delicate dabs of color and a perfumed languor suffused the work. But here again the pianist was never self-indulgent, and he was even able to get away with a very slow tempo in the second of the series. In any other hands this would have sounded intolerably sentimental, but so carefully did Mr. Michelangeli space the work, so subtle were his rhythms and accents, that the music never once halted. The supreme test in this piece is the last section. in which Ravel attempted a synthesis of the previous movements. It can sound episodic and disconnected, and Ravel did miscalculate here. Yet Mr. Michelangeli held even this together. Nobody need be told of the virtuosic terrors of "Gaspard de la Nuit," and especially the concluding "Scarbo." Most pianists have to fight the piece. Mr. Michelangeli, keeping his dynamics relatively subdued, floated through it. It is doubtful if any pianist has ever so clarified the complicated writing, or has made it sound so easy.' (Harold Schonberg)
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December 7, 1968: Hunter College, New York City, New York (Audience Recording | FLAC)
· Clementi: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op.12 No.1
· Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26
· Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
· Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
– Last pages missing from the finale of Schumann, and the last bars from Scarbo.
Thursday, 6 February 1969, Fredric R Mann Auditorium, Tel Aviv with Israel Philharmonic, Eliahu Inbal: Mozart C major K503 (also Avni, Meditations on a Drama and Beethoven 5)
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20 February 1969: Israel Philharmonic, Eliahu Inbal: Schumann concerto (also Mozart 34 and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra)
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15 May, 1969: Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden (listen here)
Clementi: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op.12 No.1
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
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20 May, 1969: Kulttuuritalo/Kulturhuset, Helsinki, Finland (TV Broadcast )
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat major, Op.73 (Emperor)
– Sergiu Celibidache / Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester
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'Michelangeli delineated the work as if an pen and ink drawing; he produced a sound in the opening chord that made me sit up with delight - the grand piano overwhelmed the orchestra.'
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Thursday, 22 May, 1969: Kulttuuritalo/House of Culture, Helsinki, Finland
Scarlatti: Five Sonatas
K.11 in C minor
K.159 in C major
K.322 in A major
K.9 in D minor
K.27 in B minor
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Fantasiebilder), Op.26
Debussy: Images (Books I & II)
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
The excellent grand piano in the Finnish hall did not meet his requirements for Chopin, so he substituted Schumann's Carnival Prank for Chopin's second sonata at the last minute.
Debussys båda Image-samlingar gjorde mig inte fullt lika entusiastisk - detta är den absoluta höjdpunkten i den impressionistiska Debussy-traditionen, där musiken blir ett klangspel med en dragning åt indonesisk gamelang-musik. Personligen föredrar jag en mer linjär och expressivt laddad tolkning. ("Debussy's two Books of Images didn't quite excite me - this is the absolute pinnacle of the impressionistic Debussy tradition, where the music becomes a timbre with a touch of Indonesian gamelan music. Personally, I prefer a more linear and expressively charged interpretation.")
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The reviewer also noted that Children's Corner was replaced with Ravels' Gaspard, 'which has made into musical history. In Stockholm, he played it better -among other things, the last movement Scarbo had a more eerie power of suggestion. But on the other hand, I must have been one of the few in the audience who could compare Michelangeli with Michelangeli. There is no other yardstick.' Carl Gunanr Åhlén, Svenska Dagbladet (7.6.69)
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16 June, 1969: Zurich, Switzerland
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23 December 1969, Fredric R Mann Auditorium, Tel Aviv with Israel Philharmonic and Sergiu Celibidache: Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor (also Rossini's overture to La Gazza Ladra and Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherezade.
Lugano 1969 • A.B. Michelangeli with the Croatian pianist Vladimir Krpan
​Val di Rabbi
The peace and calm were rudely interrupted on the evening of 13th June 1968. As a partner of the B.D.M. recording company of Bologna Benedetti Michelangeli was involved in the bankruptcy of the latter. Without being over-particular and without paying attention to the clauses of the contract which would have exonerated the Maestro from all liability, the bailiffs served him a precautionary distrainment on his property and on all the proceeds of the concerts that he would have held in Italy, for the amount of eighty-nine million Lire. In addition to the humiliation and moral damage, this caused him considerable financial problems, which forced him to carry out his professional activities abroad. He maintained his residence in Bolzano, but from that moment on he spent his time between Rabbi and Switzerland and never ever played again in his homeland, except on the occasion of the charity concert at the Teatro Grande in Brescia, in June 1980, in commemoration of Pope Paul VI.
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Benedetti Michelangeli entered Switzerland on 24th July 1969 (this is the official date shown on all the documents filed in the registry offices of the various towns in which, one after the other, he was domiciled) and first lived in the Canton of Zurich. Towards the end of September of the following year he obtained a residence permit in Canton Ticino, thanks to the intervention of Gianna Guggenbühl and maestro Carlo Florindo Semini, who put in a good word on his behalf with Dr. Solari of the Federal Police Bureau for Foreign Citizens in Berne. In 1969 and in 1971, together with Semini, he created two specialisation courses in Villa Hélénaeum in Castagnola, the last ones of his career as a teacher.
Until September 1974 he lived in Massagno, then in Riva San Vitale and Sagno, where he moved in December 1977. On 1st August 1979 he went to live in Pura, in the rented villa that some time later he was to leave to another great pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy. He then moved to a house immersed in the shade of the chestnut groves, just a few hundred metres down the road from the previous house; here he spent the last years of his life, far from the hue and cry and the crowds, in almost Franciscan simplicity. The suffering caused by his precarious health was alleviated by the care and attention of Anne-MarieJosé Gros Dubois, who was also his faithful secretary.
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In an interview in Nice after a concert, he stated that he had left Italy with no hope of returning. When asked by a reporter whether this was an “Italian divorce?” Michelangeli replied: “In Italy I suffered the consequences of a misunderstanding that ultimately resulted in nothing more than administrative harassment. And very expensive ones. My mission is not martyrdom, I have better things to do than defend myself. Regret? More like disillusionment. I come from Tyrol and the city of Lugano – where I settled a few months ago – I feel good.” When asked if this decision was final, the pianist replied that “the world is vast and I have not yet explored it all. Just as I have not yet explored my art in depth. The knowledge we have about the piano still leaves at least half of its possibilities in the shade. I will certainly die before I have broadened the horizon of our knowledge…”. Corriere della Sera, 11. 4. 1969
Conductor Sergiu Celibidache, in an interview with an Italian journalist in 1983, when asked which soloist he had worked with he remembered the most, replied: “Benedetti Michelangeli. How could you let him leave Italy? There is an incredible camaraderie and harmony between us. […] I remember that my professor, after hearing him play Schumann’s Carnaval, said to me: “Look, I don’t think any German has ever gone so deep in interpretation. […] Truly unique! And he knows it in a way. We recently played a concerto by Ravel
in London. At the end, a lady came into the dressing room: “Oh! Master, what would Ravel say if he heard this?!” and
Michelangeli replied: “It doesn’t matter. Did you like it?” “
Corriere della Sera, 19. 10. 1983