A pianist who made other pianists weep with envy. Michelangeli could play Chopin so precisely that listeners claimed he didn't touch the keys—he somehow communicated directly with the piano's soul. But he was famously temperamental: he'd cancel concerts without warning, walk offstage mid-performance if audience members coughed, and was known to spend months preparing a single recital. Perfection wasn't just his goal—it was his obsession.
January 5, 1920
106 years ago
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