He is often spoken of as one of the greatest pianists or at least one of the greatest piano technicians.

I was reading Jan Holcman's "Pianists: On and off the Record" and there is a fascinating chapter about his meeting and interviewing ABM.

I had only heard a very small number of recordings and have never heard him in concert, but I started to listen to some of his Youtube recordings.

I am very curious about your opinions of his playing. It certainly seems incredibly even and rhythmic(almost metronomic). One of the many stories Holcman tells is of ABM playing Ondine with the cigarette in his mouth not moving at all.

Thank you.

Here is the link to his recordings and two in particular that fascinated me.

Michelangeli's Youtube recordings:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=michelANGELI&search=Search

Two in particular that interested me:

Scarlatti:2 Sonatas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm2p0AKAfWs

Ravel:Ondine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIYIHomcFIg

Apparently, in private, Michelangeli would play through hundreds of Scarlatti Sonatas, but only ever programmed a couple of them...that's when he didn't cancel!
I believe he was the pianist in question who after trying around four pianos for a concerto appearance with Karajan still expressed himself dissatisfied with the choice on offer. Apparently, Karajan, losing patience, told him to choose one of the four or pull out of the concert.
This sort of fussiness, for me at least, is evident in his playing which, although beautiful, strikes me as too studied and cold.
I feel the same about the playing of another Italian, Maurizio Pollini.

By the way, the Cor Anglais solo in Michelangeli's famous recording of the Ravel Concerto in G is often made a point of adverse criticism. My oboe teacher, Natalie James, was the player in question and told me that she was instructed to play the solo in a flat almost expressionless way by the conductor Ettore Gracis...probably his idea of Gallic uninvolvement...but it went completely against her instincts. Orchestral "slaves" must obey without question, however!

Yes, he was incredibly fussy. He showed unbelievable economy of movement in his playing. He had a very limited concert repertoire and I hope I don't get flogged for saying so, but I find his output to be uneven.

But he has moments of unparalleled brilliance. I love his Schumann Carnaval and his Brahms Ballades. He is also fantastic in the Schubert D.537.

The Mozart PC 13 and 15 with Cord Garben left me cold, however.

Pollini can be cold. Or white hot, depending on the particular performance. I don't see much similarity in the two, Pollini's diamond-like precision is always evident within a few bars and that sometimes distracts from the music.

His recordings of early Beethoven sonatas have incredible attention to detail....but like others have said, it sometimes comes off as heartless playing.