Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, born 5 January 1920 in Brescia and died on 12 June 1995 in Lugano, was and still is one of the pianists of the century – an imaginative perfectionist, a quiet magician.

After switching from violin to piano due to an illness, he studied piano at the Conservatory in Milan from the age of ten. In 1938 he only finished seventh at the Ysaÿe music competition in Brussels, but a year later the 19-year-old took first place at the competition in Geneva. At the time, jury member Alfred Cortot spoke of a “new Liszt”.

Benedetti Michelangeli’s world career began immediately after the end of the Second World War with his debut in London in 1946. He was soon touring the world with his own grand piano from the small Italian manufacturer Tallone and his personal piano technician. The solo piano recordings of this exclusive 10-CD box were also made on this instrument.

They date from the years 1949 to 1987 and present the essence of his supreme skill with works by Debussy, Chopin, Ravel, Liszt, Scarlatti, Schumann, Schubert, as well as by Baldassarre Galuppi, Muzio Clementi and Florido Tomeoni. Characterised by a clear structure, an enormous wealth of colours and the perfect sound, they enjoy reference status to this day.