Customer Reviews

Martha Argerich: The Collection 1: The Solo Recordings

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The reissue market is bringing around some extraordinary bargains lately, and this is one. Here we have 8 recitals made for DG starting when the pianist wasn't yet twenty but already playing like a master. The older Argerich has released much more material on her second label, EMI, but DG can boast of riches enough. The new remastering is also welcome, since the earliest LPs were often hard and glassy. Now for the most part the piano sounds full and natural.

Here's the complete program, although the box set proceeds one recital at a time, chronologically, not one composer at a time:

Bach, J S:
Toccata in C minor, BWV911

Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV826

English Suite No. 2 in A minor, BWV807

Brahms:
Rhapsodies, Op. 79

Chopin:
Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39

Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

Polonaise No. 7 in A flat major, Op. 61 'Polonaise-fantaisie'

Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque'

Mazurkas Op. 59 Nos. 1-3

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre'

Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31

24 Preludes, Op. 28

Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 45

Prelude No. 26 in A flat major, Op. posth.

Liszt:
Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 6 in D flat major

Piano Sonata in B minor, S178

Prokofiev:
Toccata, Op. 11

Ravel:
Jeux d'eau

Gaspard de la Nuit

Sonatine

Valses nobles et sentimentales

Schumann:
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22

Kinderszenen, Op. 15

Kreisleriana, Op. 16

To get 8 discs of music of this quality at around $30 is a steal. DG is usually notorious for over pricing their single CD's (usually around $18 a pop, so this is indeed a very pleasant surprise. Then when you consider that the discs contain the mercurial, hot tempered, fire breathing dragoness in her prime it is simply a must buy. Of course, Argerich falls into the same category as other artists such as Heifetz, Pollini, Szell, Karajan, Furtwangler and others in that there is very little middle ground. You either love them or you hate them. I happen to be a huge fan of not only her solo work, but also her concertos and chamber works. I am continually amazed at her ability to play at such breakneck speeds without glossing over or bluring notes, even during live performances, the way some pianists (Horowitz) do. Of course there are the occasional missed keys, but who doesn't make a few miscues from time to time? Even the great Richter is guilty of this. All said, there isn't a disc in this set that isn't very good to great. Did I mention what an excellent bargain this box set was?

Recently I checked Amazon's price for this set in Great Britain at Amazon UK and in Germany. In Britain this set now puts you back, when the Pounds are converted to dollars, a hefty 70 plus dollars, considerably more than twice the US price! In Germany at Amazon Germany the set runs @50 Euros, more than 71 dollars! So for about the one gazillionth time - it pays to shop around! Even within Amazon from country to country!

These DG performances capture the earlier recordings, before Argerich began shying away from solo appearances or recordings. As such they're a gold mine of great, powerful, personality-laden piano playing.

For those collectors who already have most of these this set certainly makes for an astonishing (and not unreasonably priced) gift for a classical music beginner!

Take adavantage of this one while Amazon continues to run such a crazy pricing emporioum from country to country.

(And for any movie buffs, don't fail to check out the Amazon UK DVD sets of David Lean and Powell/Pressburger, or the bargain prices for excellent transfers of Ophuls!)

What can I say ! To put together this 8 CD box set of some of Martha Argerich's best recordings and make the set available at what is a very reasonable budget price is a dream come true.. I'm looking forward to further sets. As far as the music is concerned, these recordings have existed on DG vinyl for some time (also on CD) and are superb. For me this is the buy of the year.

These are some of the Argerich standards released on CD by Deutsche Grammophon in the 1980s and 1990s, and they are well worth the price of this collection. Her sensitivity and intensity are represented here, and although critics complain about the uncontrolled energy of a madwoman, I don't hear it in any of these pieces. Even the difficult Liszt Sonata in B-min sounds just right. Check out the sweet vid on Youtube showing Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire practicing and visiting.

Martha is absolutely my favorite concert pianist! I compare her approach to piano to that of concert violinist Nadja Solerno Sonnenberg. They both share a passion for aggressive approach and execution in form. No "glossing over" in interpretation of pieces (Horowitz, brilliant as he was nevertheless, did so ... my opinion only).

You will probably like the vast selection in this wonderful set of CDs.

All fans know these widely available recordings. My personal favorites are Liszt Sonata, Chopin 3rd sonata and the Bach cd - all tour de force of piano playing, very hot-headed, dangerous readings of these works. Try Finale of Chopin sonata to taste. The set is tightly packed box, cardboard sleeves with reproductions of original LPs: so nostalgic. Also the short LP playing times are there. The price is very good, but I would have liked better photo quality of "mini-LPs", they have a bit feeling of copies made in haste. A little bit more sharpness and color balance would be nice...perhaps for The collection 2, DGG? There were also small cardboard "sticks" in some cd surfaces (perhaps result of cutting process of the sleeves), be sure to wipe them off before enter cd to player. The set also contain a nice leaflet with good photos, but not on the best paper, though. But now to the point - this is 5 stars collection by its musical contents, bringing together Complete Solo Argerich on DGG, in easy and nice format. Recommended for old and new fans alike!

this is such a fantastic music collection. it has introduced me to pieces felt had felt bored with to make me amazed. i have enjoyed this so much. & i think i have not got to the end of this. she is way there, way in there, it is very alive.

& ok, there is no sense in being grandiloquent or coy. there are 8 excellent cds here for >$30.00 total. you should get this before the suits read these reviews and figure out that they missed something (if we just enlarged the liner notes to greater than microscopic size...) and that they should chop these recordings up and charge a lot more for them one by one. wow.

or maybe it is the dreadful economy, or some super suit said "sell everything" then "yes i mean including the good stuff" or i wonder if perhaps these recordings have an even better magic that is suit-proof with the power of years, & that is why they are here.

There are two incredible things about this boxed set: the quality of the music, and the price.

I well remember the day when CDs sold for $16 each, and weren't very good. (AKA "The Good Old Days")

Now here we have some of the best music ever recorded, and the cost per CD works out to something like $4. Less valuable dollars, too...

Buy it for yourself, as a birthday or Christmas present. You won't be sorry!

I got this boxed set of 8 CDs on Amazon for $21 and it was the best deal I've ever gotten from the company. Martha's work is sublime, the recordings are pristine, and I couldn't recommend this more highly to the Classical music enthusiast. Bravo!