Product Details

• Actors: Martha Argerich, János Darvas
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (PCM Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
• DVD Release Date: February 29, 2000
• Run Time: 56 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630575540X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,730 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A rare filmed performance of one of the greatest pianists of all times, Martha Argerich. Argerich is almost as well known for her reclusive nature as she is for her exciting performances. In this DVD release we are privileged to have captured Martha Argerich at her peak in three separate duets. These collaborations present an involved musical conversation unmatched by any solo performance. Martha Argerich and Nicolas Economou perform Mozart's "Piano Sonata for Four Hands in D major, K. 381," and then, together with Mischa Maisky, Argerich plays Schuman's "Phantasiestücke op.73, No. 1-3." Finally, Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire perform two pieces; Rachmaninov's "Suite for Two Pianos no. 2, Op.17" and Ravel's "La Valse." This DVD release includes the unique feature of optional on-screen analysis of the music being performed as well as subtitle display of the mood and tempo. An in-depth biography of each of the performers is included, as are on-screen liner notes, a glossary of musical terms and contemporary history of the compositions. This remastered footage was originally filmed in 1982, and the music was remixed from the original multitrack tapes to a 5.1 dolby digital mix. Audio options include the original non-compressed stereo mix.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great music; fair photography, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Martha Argerich and Friends (DVD)

The music and the playing of Argerich and her friends are first-rate. The complexity of 2 piano music or 4 hand piano music is wonderful to hear and to behold. The hearing was wonderful; the beholding was not.

Too much time was spent looking at the backs of performers, the nose and prominent wave of Ar gerich hair, the beard of Freire. Admittedly, closeups of performers can be very rewarding, but when more than one or two features consumes the entire screen.

I believe that music lovers who buy DVD per- formances of classical music want to see the musicians plying their virtuosity. That means for pianists the hands should be featured. That's where the music is being made. Certainly, camera views can be arranged to accommodate both the upper body, arms, hands, and keyboard.

In music utilizing two pianos it seems that a split-sreen technique could have been used to capture the total performance from the two players at the same time so that the listener

could see fully what he/she was hearing at a given moment in the music rather than the camera alternating from the hands of one performer to the hands of the other, thus displaying only half of what was being performed.

Again, the performances were superior, and if this were a CD rather than a DVD, I would rate it 5 stars.

Finally, the pictures were clear and vivid; it is the approach to the photography of the performances that needed to be refocused.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too many faces / So few hands, January 10, 2002

By 

R. Machado "Giacometti" (Sao Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Martha Argerich and Friends (DVD)

This video is an excelent performance. In fact, Argerich was in a peak! Somethings that are not so good:

The Schumann's Fatasie is a very nice piece and the sound is really good. But, I don't know why, the cameras seems to treat Mr. Maisky as a kind of soloist, and Argerich's hands its almost never seen.

The cameras shows the faces of the musicians for a long time, more than necessary. When she was playing with Nelson Freire, there is a camera that shows a frontal vision of the two pianos, you see the "body" of the pianos instead of the hands. The hands appears too, but it could appear more.

Some positive points are:

The sound quality is very, very good. The selection is very special. The last two pieces are very strong. The performance is perfect!

There is some program extras, like biographies and music titles. One of them is a feature called music analisys. It's really interesting. You can listen to the music and see a legend explaining the parts of the music. For example, the parts of the sonata: exposition, codetta, development of the first theme and so on.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A wonder to behold, September 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Martha Argerich and Friends (DVD)

Argerich's rhythm is impeccable. Although I am not crazy about Freire, he seems to be among the few who can keep up with her! As another reviewer stated, I expected to see the performer's hands a lot more often. AND...I thought the camera spent too much time on Friere and his hands and not on Argerich. After all, it is called MARTHA ARGERICH and Friends. But thankfully, the sound and quality of this DVD made me forget about it for a while. I sorely miss Economou! He and Argerich were made for each other. Their recording of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is a gem. This Mozart 1-piano 4-hands sonata is a favorite of mine and it was a real treat to see. Maisky's performance of Schumann was something else. I had forgotten how beautiful this work was.
All in all, this DVD is a must for all Argerich fans.