Customer Reviews

Live from the Concertgebouw, 1978 & 1992 - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503 / Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15

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This is my favorite Mozart concerto, and this is the most joyous performance of it that I've ever heard. Miss Argerich plays in a manner that feels robust and healthy compared to some Mozart "specialists," and yet she never overwhelms the music itself. There is an inordinate amount of audience coughing which all seems to be coming from the same consumptive source, and it is maddening that it mars such a wonderful performance, but it shouldn't keep you from listening. Coughing isn't a problem in the Beethoven Concerto #1, but the orchestra sounds like they have just eaten a heavy meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut and are a bit sluggish compared to Argerich, who is witty, intelligent and delightful throughout, turning even the simplest scale runs into glittering cascades.

Martha Argerich is my favourite pianist. I declare that up-front. The OTHER recording in this series, of her solo concertgebouw recitals ("Martha Argerich Live From the Concertgebouw 1978 & 1979"), is a must-have demonstration of unbelieveable virtuosity across a vast musical spectrum.

This one, however, I have doubts about. Mozart has always seemed to me to be Argerich's one sticking point - amazing rather than involving; almost as if her phenomenonal technique causes an embarassment of riches at the expense of the apparent simplicity that seems to me to be the essence of truly great Mozart playing. I'm in the 'less is more' camp when it comes to Mozart - Argerich has so much power at her command that, to me, it seems at times to overwhelm the music.

The same can not be said of her Beethoven, whose more percussive writing for a rather more evolved piano than Mozart had to work with is far more suited to her astonishingly powerful yet articulate fingerwork. The 3rd movement, especially, seems to me to unlock everything Beethoven had in mind when he wrote it. However, she has already recorded Beethoven 1&2 in the studio, and there seems to me nothing here that makes this recording preferable.

And, indeed, almost any other recording scenario would probably be preferable! This one was recorded by Netherlands radio in the Concertgebeouw, apparently at the height of the cough and 'flu season. The recording itself is of a reasonable quality, but extraneous noise is frequently very pronounced, even over quite loud orchestral tuttis, and especially in the slow movements. Not for audiophiles! Frankly, EMI's release of this quality of live recording at full price, even given that it is Argerich, seems unlikely to win them many friends.

All in all, given that Argerich has recorded Beethoven 1&2 under rather more ideal studio conditions, one can only really recommend this recording to those who are die-hard fans or those who like her rather Beethoven-esque approach to Mozart (they will be similarly impressed, incidentally, by the Teldec recording of Mozart 20 with Rabinovitch conducting, in which she introduces Mozart to Tchaikovsky in a thought-provoking, original and extremely presto way, but again not ultimately one I personally like after several listenings).

If you only buy one CD this year, this should probably not be it, but the other one in this series probably should. Never again will you hear Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas played like this. Go there without delay and buy it .. but remember to sit down before you listen to track 14!

Argerich is always amazing. In this recording she shows she has wit and energy to spare. Both concertos are favorites and almost too well known, but her performance (and it IS a recoding of a live performance) is so full of life you will find yourself smiling and even chuckling a few times.

Some people feel they haven't given a proper critique of a recording without giving a list of flaws in the performance details. To that I saw they are missing the whole point of the thing. Live music is about the moment and going after something. The fact that there are rough spots means almost nothing when the artistry is still in tact. And with Argerich the piano playing is rock solid fun and both orchestras do a great job in matching her vitality.

Both of these concertos require the pianist to make the music sing, but in different ways. The Mozart is witty in its sheer musical facility. Mozart is able to conceive anything and pull it off seemingly out of thin air. I am always amazed at his quicksilver imagination and it is in full power in this concerto and in this performance.

The Beethoven is wonderful, but it is obvious that it is more of a constructed wit. It is still very funny and powerful and poetic. I guess the difference is really that Mozart seems almost improvised and the Beethoven seems more thought out. Not that Mozart seems anything less than perfect nor does the Beethoven sound labored. It is just the way the payoffs are gained makes them sound that way to me.

In any case, these are two wonderful pieces and two superb performances. I love listening to this CD. Enjoy!

This highly enjoyable disc has the renowned Argentinian pianist in two live performances of classical concerti. Although Argerich is perhaps best-known for her blazing traversals of Romantic and early twentieth-century warhorses (the Liszt Sonata, Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit and Prokofiev's Third Concerto must be numbered among her classic interpretations), she proves more than capable of scaling down and refining her approach as befits the more delicate writing of these late eighteenth-century masterpieces. Mozart's Concerto in C major, K. 503 is not as popular as its predecessor in the same key, K. 467 (the "Elvira Madigan" concerto), and its slow movement is perhaps not as romantically appealing. In formal construction, intricacy of interplay between solo and orchestra and mastery of development it must be counted among his very greatest works. Argerich's crystalline passagework and clean phrasing are a continual delight. She plays a sensible, idiomatic and, disappointingly, unattributed cadenza in the first movement. Although the accompanying orchestra plays stylishly under Szymon Goldberg, the balance of the live recording is tipped heavily in favor of the solo, which means some finer details of the orchestra-solo relationship are lost.

The squarer, more straightforward style of the Beethoven Concerto needs less subtlety of listening. Again Argerich tosses off the frequently intricate piano writing with irresistible dash. (She plays the shorter, less virtuosic of Beethoven's two complete cadenzas for the first movement.) The long slow movement is played with melting tenderness and beautiful work from the solo winds. This is yet another wonderful souvenir of this very great pianist's art.

As a perennial Argerich fan, I'm slightly confused as to why I did not purchase this disc sooner, even if only because the cover photo would make a good addition to my collection. But there is much more than a pretty photo here; the playing is top-notch, as expected.

Unfortunately, the disc opens with the Mozart. While it is not a bad performance, something is missing. I find that Argerich seems much less "comfortable" in this concerto than in the Beethoven (considering her statements about Mozart and Beethoven in her interviews, this seems appropriate). The Mozart is ultimately ruined for me in the Allegretto--the piano entrance is played with such blazing speed that it is difficult to discern what's really going on.

The Beethoven, on the other hand, is brilliant. It is played a little slower than her childhood debut, but is endlessly more mature. The tender moments are played with such delicacy and finesse, that I feel almost as if time has stopped. Her runs, no matter what tempo or dynamic, are always crystal-clear and shaded with wonderful color. And while the third movement may be a little on the brisk side, the playing is always nuanced. No matter what the music calls for, she delivers it accurately, musically, and with astonishing control.

If the quality of a recording should be judged on how many times I can spin the disc in my player and not grow tired of it, this one is a real winner. One thing remains true: I gain something more with each listen.

Within a few bars of Argerich's first entrance in the Mozart K. 503 concerto she had me paying attention in a way I never expected from her. Could this delightfully fresh, relazed, imaginative pianist be her? Apparently in 1978 she hadn't yet developed the fiery, aggressive, often impetuous style that her fans love but which doesn't sit well in Mozart's music. Here she is simply unsurpassable, showing so much musicality and inner life through her playing that I completely surrendered. Szymon Goldberg keeps up with Argerich by making sure that the accompaniment is never routine but lgiht and joyous.

After my first listen I checked the Gramophone review to see if anyone shared my amazement and found that the reviewer called this "as radiant, vital and carefree a performance as any within living memory." Absolutely.

In the Beethoven First the partnership isn't quite as magical. Heinz Wallberg starts out the orchestral part in pretty routine fashion, although the Concertgebouw plays with gorgeous tonal balance. This is 1992, and I expected Argerich to charge blazing into the solo part. As it turns out, she is nearly as effervescent and carefree as in the Mozart. Does a live setting make her this genial? I'm not sure that Beethoven's music is so inspired that taking all the repeats is justified--the timing stretches out to 34 min.--but with such infectious playing I was happy to hear every note. Wallberg is at his best in the slow movement, which he conducts with extra intensity to counterpoint Argerich's hypnotic legatos. The rondo finale is dashed off at a nice, buoyant pace, and the orchestra skips alongside Argerich to delightful effect--there's no pounding or exaggeration from her, either, despite her fiery reputation.

All in all, a complete delight.

First things first. I am of the opinion that the Mozart concerto is not very good or compelling music. It's neither here nor there for me. Blah. Not even Argerich can rescue it. Now, the Beethoven 1st (or 2nd depending on who you ask) is an altogether different animal. And in Argerich's magisterial/genial fingers and mind, well, the album is self recommending. I even found Wallberg's conducting to be excellent despite what others might claim. Not the greatest sound quality but the inimitable Argerich artistry does shine through.

She is one of the most dynamic and imaginative musicians of our time. No one can match her artistry, temperament, energy, and not the least, her awe-inspiring technical ability.