Maurizio Pollini died today

The foremost Italian pianist of his era died this morning in a Milan clinic. He was 82.

Winner of the 1960 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, he played with all major orchestras and in all major concert halls for six decades. A reserved man, he avoided media interviews and confined his intimacy to musicians of similar background and political sympathies, notably the late conductor Claudio Abbado, who was his closest collaborator, and the composers Luigi Nono and Pierre Boulez.

His unconcealed membership of the Italian Communist Party did not preclude seasonal recitals at Carnegie Hall.

Introspective and unemotional, he was a masterful interpreter of the Beethoven sonatas. He caused great frustration to his record label, DG, refusing for years to authorise release of recordings that appeared perfect to expert ears.

His eightieth birthday, widely recognised, showed a noted decline, but he continued playing into his final year. He had a personal following larger than almost any other living pianist and those fans remained loyal to the end.

He is survived by his wife Marilisa and son Daniele.

UPDATE: Top pianists pay tribute