Michael Ponti (1937-2022)

[John Boyer]

In my personal opinion, his Henselt, Raff and Moszkowski Concertos remain the best still today!

Agreed!  And his Reinecke 1, like the above, is unsurpassed.

I knew that someday we would have to read this news, but it still comes as a shock.  He was a great pioneer of the unsung.  Despite the better sounding recordings of others that followed, his performances were so exhilarating that it's to his recordings that I return to again and again.

[John Boyer]

This obit, a reprint from the Washington Post, appeared in Legacy.com:

Reprint of the obit in the Washington Post

[MartinH]

Way back in 1980 I was working at the Flagstaff Summer Music Festival as a recording engineer. The festival director at that time was very broadminded and knew everyone it seemed in the music world and one memorable week he brought in Michael Ponti. The first rehearsal was the Saint-Saens 2nd concerto. As the rehearsal ended, the mounting storm so common in Flagstaff that time of year opened up a torrential rain. Ponti was staying at a hotel about a half mile from the auditorium. He didn't have a car and the management never considered maybe he needed a ride or something. I wrapped up my work, left the hall, got in my truck and what do you know, there was this world-class pianist walking in the downpour. I drove up to him and asked him if he'd like a ride. Of course he would! We got to his hotel and he asked me to come into the pub for a beer. Why not? He was amazed that me, a redneck with a 22 gauge shotgun in his truck, wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat knew his recordings and was a fan of Raff! He thought that was so funny. We talked, and drank, for a couple of hours, about the forgotten composers whom he certainly took an interest in. What a memorable experience that was. He told me that if I really loved classical music I should move to Germany! I didn't.

[Mark Thomas]

What a wonderful memory, Martin. It couldn't be more special.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Marvellous - very special indeed. I'm hugely jealous!

[Recorddude]

How sad! He was one of the first pianists to record rare repertoire. I have many of his excellent recordings.

[semloh]

I'm late on the scene, but I endorse all the positive comments. I seem to recall that his playing was sometimes derided by the critics, butI never understood why since those Turnabout/Vox performances had immediate appeal. They also introduced me to many Unsung Composers and compositions - thanks, Michael Ponti.