Maurizio Pollini, Royal Festival Hall

Few would argue against the statement that Maurizio Pollini is one of the world’s greatest pianists. When he won the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1960, aged 18, the esteemed Arthur Rubenstein declared that he was a better pianist than anyone on the judging panel, including himself. Since then, he has graduated from rising star to bona fide superstar to elder statesman, dazzling concert halls around the world with his refined fingerwork. He has also, as his works with composer Luigi Nono demonstrate, been a passionate activist for left-wing causes.
Now 73, Pollini has made frequent visits to the Southbank in recent years, notably for 2011’s five-part Pollini Project residency. For this early 2016 appearance, he will be playing a programme that includes Schumann’s Fantasie in C (1936). Split, sonata-like, into three movements, the Fantasie was unrivaled in its time as a virtuosic showpiece, and remains staggering today. Many first-rate pianists, including Sviatoslav Richter, have considered to stand at the very peak of the instrument’s repertoire. Pollini will undoubtedly be able to show his audience why.
Pollini will also play works by Chopin, along with further pieces yet to be disclosed. He is renowned for his equal aptitude for baroque, romantic and modern music, with an expertise that stretches from Bach to Boulez. Several significant composers, including Nono, Manzoni and Sciarrino, have written for him. There’s a good chance Pollini will choose something contemporary to counterpoint Schumann and Chopin.