Ivo Pogorelić

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.

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.

He has made recordings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Haydn, Liszt, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Scarlatti, Schumann, Scriabin and Tchaikovsky.

[8] 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.

In December 1993, Pogorelić founded the "International Solo Piano Competition" in conjunction with the Ambassador Foundation in Pasadena, California.

In 1994 he helped to provide medical support for the people of Sarajevo by setting up a foundation that organized charity concerts.

He has helped to raise money for the rebuilding of Sarajevo, for the Red Cross, and for the fight against illnesses such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Pogorelić suffered chronic rheumatic fever during his childhood and hepatitis when he was 21, which left him with a legacy of extreme care for his health.

He practises the same biodynamic exercises created for Russian ballet dancers in the 1920s, takes long walks daily, goes to bed when night falls, and rises at 5:30 a.m.[10] Pogorelić currently resides in Lugano, Switzerland.