Maurizio Pollini won the International Chopin Piano Competition over half a century ago. It launched him on a world-bestriding career that has been prodigious, but he is nearing the end of a brilliant career arc. Health problems forced the Italian pianist to withdraw from recitals in Washington in 2015 and 2011.

The Kennedy Center’s Fortas series offered his latest concert on Tuesday night. A bad fall reportedly led to a slew of canceled concerts last month, and the 75-year-old pianist walked with a noticeable limp to his lonely spotlit bench.