Martha Argerich (1941-), Argentinian Pianist, One of the Great Virtuosos of the 20th Century

[DonRocks]

Our members seem to be attracted to strong females, so you all might be interested in this relatively minor, semi-decent, somewhat-obscure classical pianist named Mart(h)a Argerich from Argentina. Here she is at age 67, playing Scarlatti's D-Minor Sonata, K141. It's only 3 1/2 minutes long, so drop whatever you're doing and watch this:

All kidding aside, if you don't know about her, learn. Learn as much as you can. I'll post more about her if you promise to do your homework.

[Tujague]

A few years ago, Argerich played in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by her former husband and best orchestral collaborator, Charles Dutoit, at the Kimmel Center--an extremely rare event. I and two friends sat for several hours in the rush line hoping to snag $10 tickets for ANY concert there. To our amazement, our patience was rewarded with three front-row tickets to the Argerich performance--the most unforgettable orchestral performance of my life.

Several years ago Deutsche Grammophon started releasing bargain-priced box sets of her albums, going back to her earliest performances; Decca did the same with their Argerich catalog a few years later. They are worth seeking out; it's educational to hear her take different approaches to the same concerto with different orchestras. It's joyous to hear her pair with other pianists and musicians; her solo performances are wild, virtuosic, and sometimes harrowing. She may not be the greatest pianist of her generation, but she is definitely one of the most electrifying.

[eatruneat]

Back when I was playing the piano, I LOVED Martha Argerich. I have several of her albums.

She gives very few concerts these days, and is known to pull out or cancel even those on her schedule. She was scheduled to play with the NSO at the Kennedy Center in 2006. I eagerly bought tickets but much to my disappointment, she pulled out the day of the concert the day of. I was so sad, knowing that I missed what was likely my only chance to see the legend in concert.

[DonRocks]

Just so people can see Argerich in her (physical) prime, I want to include this video (recorded 42 years before the one up above) of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 - this is a *very* technically demanding piece that involves octaves, octaves, and more octaves, and then still more octaves (in the section that starts at the 4:10 mark (*)) - the type of piece you play as a virtuoso, or not at all.  Do yourself a favor and watch the entire thing:

And I'm going to also show you something you probably don't know exists which is really, really awesome.

(*) Believe it or not, the 3 seconds of this piece from 5:52 to 5:55 are the hardest part. Even though it's only 3-seconds long, being forced to split apart your arms like that (when your eyes can't split outwards to monitor things) is one of the hardest things in piano because it means you're playing blind. And you cannot afford to miss a single note here (which is why the vast majority of pianists slow down markedly and play this little section "safe" (but Argerich pretty much takes it head on)). This is 3 seconds of hell, and it's a weed-out part.

[Tujague]

Back when I was playing the piano, I LOVED Martha Argerich. I have several of her albums.

She gives very few concerts these days, and is known to pull out or cancel even those on her schedule. She was scheduled to play with the NSO at the Kennedy Center in 2006. I eagerly bought tickets but much to my disappointment, she pulled out the day of the concert the day of. I was so sad, knowing that I missed what was likely my only chance to see the legend in concert.

That date was to be part of the same concert tour when I saw her in Philly. She cancelled her appearance in Boston also, due to "exhaustion" (unsurprising, when she's playing at her most furious). She definitely seems to have a preference to be part of an ensemble rather than as a soloist with an orchestra (or on her own).

[DonRocks]

That date was to be part of the same concert tour when I saw her in Philly. She cancelled her appearance in Boston also, due to "exhaustion" (unsurprising, when she's playing at her most furious). She definitely seems to have a preference to be part of an ensemble rather than as a soloist with an orchestra (or on her own).

Well, I was going to wait and give this to you in drips, but since we have a couple Argerich fans here talking about cancellations, this should explain much - you won't understand the dialogue, but you'll understand what's going on: a fascinating portrayal of stage fright.

And for those who want to dig deeper, Argerich's daughter, Stéphanie, made a film last year, Bloody Daughter - it's available for rent on Amazon Prime. It's not a traditional biography (I haven't even seen it yet), so be aware what you're getting into before you rent it - information about it is out there on Google.

[Al Dente]

you all might be interested in this relatively minor, semi-decent, somewhat-obscure classical pianist

So, in your estimation, is that a big pianist or a little pianist?

[DonRocks]

So, in your estimation, is that a big pianist or a little pianist?

The size of the pianist doesn't matter; it's the technique.