Иво Погорелић: Жизнь и творчество хорватского пианиста.

Yugoslav born Croatian pianist (born 1958)

Ivo Pogorelić (also Ivo Pogorelich; born 20 October 1958) is a Yugoslav born Croatian pianist. He is known for his sometimes unorthodox interpretations, which have brought him a sizable following and both praise and criticism from musical experts. A musician of wide repertoire, his recordings include works by a variety of composers from the early 18th through 20th centuries.

Pogorelić was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother; he became a Croatian citizen after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Pogorelić received his first piano lessons when he was seven and attended the Vojislav Vučković Music School in Belgrade until he was 12, when he was invited to Moscow to continue his studies at the Central Music School with Evgeny Timakin. He studied alongside the pianist Mikhail Pletnev, with whom he formed a lasting friendship. He later graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Vera Gornostayeva and Yevgeny Malinin. In 1976 he began working intensively with the Georgian pianist and teacher Alisa Kezheradze, who passed on to him the tradition of the Liszt–Siloti school. They were married from 1980 until her death in 1996 from liver cancer.

Pogorelić won the Casagrande Competition in Terni, Italy in 1978 and the Montreal International Musical Competition in 1980. In 1980 he entered the X International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw but was eliminated in the third round, prompting juror Martha Argerich to resign from the jury in protest, calling Pogorelić a "genius". This action by Argerich, herself a pianist of international renown, precipitated a major scandal in the world of classical music. Following the death of his wife in 1996, Pogorelić took a long leave from giving concerts. In 2019, he released his first album in 21 years, featuring piano sonatas by Beethoven (Nos. 22 and 24) and Rachmaninoff (Sonata No. 2, revised version). Twenty years later, after Pogorelić's return from his extended absence, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini reviewed a performance of the same piece, writing, "Here is an immense talent gone tragically astray. What went wrong?"

In 1986, Pogorelić established a foundation in Yugoslavia to further the careers of young performers from his homeland. In 1988, he was named an Ambassador of Goodwill by UNESCO, the first classical pianist ever so appointed. He no longer occupies this position (as of August 2009). From 1989 to 1997, the Ivo Pogorelić Festival in Bad Wörishofen gave young artists the opportunity to perform with renowned artists. In December 1993, Pogorelić founded the "International Solo Piano Competition" in conjunction with the Ambassador Foundation in Pasadena, California. Pogorelić currently resides in Lugano, Switzerland.