About the win

Krystian Zimerman won the ninth edition in 1975 at the age of eighteen, becoming a national hero in Poland. He is celebrated for a perfectionism so exacting that he often tours with his own instrument.

Key facts

• Won in 1975 at eighteen, the youngest winner up to that point.
• An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist famous for meticulous preparation.
• Frequently travels with his own piano and mechanism to control every detail.
• Acclaimed in Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven and Lutosławski, whose piano concerto he premiered.