Customer Reviews

Martha Argerich (Great Pianists of the 20th Century)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The C Minor Paritita is beautifully played, sometimes I'm not sure who Argerich IS, but in the end, it's beautiful. I recently heard Angela Hewitt's Bach, incidentally, and it's surpassing. The Liszt is revolutionary, however much it really is a concerto one can do without. And this is one of the finest versions of the Prokofiev 3rd around! The third movement gets all of Argerich's natural rhythmic attention, that stupendous, measured propulsion that makes her art so dangerous! There is an earlier Ravel Concerto with Berlin and Abbado, not this one, with a more perceptively drawn second movement- I still have it on cassette! can't seem to find a CD edition of it- better than this one, but this one's easily the best around, without a doubt! Argerich's play with Ravel's ingenious rhythms is natural like walking, or spinning. The Gaspard is the finest recording in this collection, and worth twice the price of it! She's a pianist made for Ravel! I remember playing the Sonatine in college- marvelous piece with a memorable miniature for a second movement; Argerich knows the braveness of Ravel's kingdom, and now so does everybody else. There is nothing in these two discs to disappoint you. I listen to them often, and find I often want a brandy afterward -something to calm, and share the lingering.

Argerich is a biological sport, a flat-out stunning miracle. Her Bach on this CD is naked and powerful, the Rachmaninov upstages all other versions, the ferociously witty Prokofiev is all hers. Her Ravel is other-worldly--under her hands the piano surpasses itself in colors and textures. No one else can play legato--or anything else--like she does. Don't miss her recent CD of the Chopin concerti (Dutoit conducting).

Fans of Argerich should have already got most of the original recordings in this compilation set. The only question is, is this a representative compilation of Argerich's pianistic art, and can it serve as a good introduction to Argerich for those who are not familiar with her?

When you think of it as a compilation set which excludes her chamber works, then it is as close to a "best of" as you can imagine, subject to the constraint of a 2-disc set. Her Rach 3 and Prokofiev 3 are without peer. Her Ravel and Liszt 1 are also among the best available. May be she's not known as a Bach specialist, but her Partita No.2 is music to my ears (don't miss DG's reissue of her all-Bach recording, if you haven't got it).

This is not just a 5-star issue. It is a must have. No exaggeration, IT IS A MUST HAVE!

a few years ago, i was looking at some cd's at the tower records near lincoln center. i was desperately seeking a cd version of martha's ''valses nobles'', which i'd had for years on vinyl. a man came up and saw that i was looking under argerich. his sole comment was, ''oh, that woman gets on my nerves! she can surely wreck a chopin!'' i ran out of the store and into the winter night at once: i knew i was in the presence of a madman!

martha argerich's uncanny ability to BECOME what she plays will astound you. you may have heard ravel's music many times in your life, but you will never know how it feels to INHABIT that world called ravel until you have gone through the martha argerich experience. argerich creates an environment out of every piece. we dwell in her execution.

much though i'd like to be less metaphoric to help you decide on your purchase, i find that language has never been so inefficient as when i have tried to define the art of martha argerich. no one comes close. do yourself a favor and buy this album now.

Martha Argerich is, simply, one of the most important and influential pianists alive. Love her, or hate her, her stunning virtuosity cannot be ignored.

Her Rach 3 is, simply, beyond belief. She takes SO much from the music and conveys it with passion, juxtaposing long flowing phrases with flashings of virtuosity. The finale is a total breath stopper and the ending is met by a hiatus from the stunned audience.

The Prokoviev has stood the test of time, and she manages to keep an "edge" to the music from begining to end. The "glissandi" in the final movement make my hair stand on end...this performance NEVER fails to stir me. I have been lucky to hear this concerto live on a number of occasions, but the urgency of the writing has never been as prevalent as Argerich's account.

The "Gaspard" too, has stood the test of time. Argerich's performance is the first I heard, and I thought everybody would play it equally well. How wrong. Her touch and shading of nuance in "le Gibet" paints a very vivid picture.

And then to the "simplicity" of Bach. I had never heard this piece until I went to her Carnegie recital on 25 Mar. My goodness! Here was Bach distilled to its absolute purity. NEVER have I heard such emotion and control. I fell in love with this partita immediately and promptly bought the CD!

In summary, this collection is an absolute MUST... from the delicate Bach to the passions of Chopin and Rachmaninov, via the drive of Prokoviev, this CD has it all.

What I'm NOW praying for is that the Carnegie recital, with Bach, Chopin and Prokoviev, (7th Sonata), coupled with the Schumann Quintet, (Juilliard Quartet), and "La Valse", (with Nelson Freira), has been recorded for future release. PLEASE let it be so!

There isn't anything I don't like in this set. The Prokofieff is gripping and the Ravel (esp. the 2nd movement) is really beautiful. Her Gaspard is the best I've ever heard. Ondine comes closest here to the sprites and light splashes of water it was meant to convey. And I love the Bach. I don't think anyone would regret buying this CD (or any of Argerich's for that matter).

Perhaps I can't be enough objective talking about her performances... I know her very good and I'm argentine too (what honor! ) but I think, as when we talk about Horowitz, or Arrau, or Michelangeli, is impossible say "she plays in this way", or "she is so fiery"... people: SHE IS SHE: the most great woman pianist of all music history and we'll remember her performances of any kind of music for many, many years, I'd hazard, for ever!. I apologize with all you for my english, but I think it's very clear my opinion.

As pianists go, there are very few who could claim to be of the same stature as Martha Argerich. She has the innate gift of making me believe that everything she does is the only way of doing things, although I know and love many other performances of the works contained in this set. Her Rach 3 is simply peerless, in my opinion. Excitement and fireworks abound, but there is always room for the more sensitive side, and it is DELICIOUS when she lets her sensitivity come through. One particular moment in the third movement is so powerful that whenever I hear it, I simply have to stop whatever I'm doing and just listen. The Prokofiev is precise, exciting and poetic, and the Ravel concerto and Gaspard de la nuit are unbelievable.
This was my introduction to Argerich's art, and I believe it is an excellent one- it shows the full range of her abilities (excluding chamber music) to perfection- she can play anything from Bach to Ravel equally well and convincingly. Heartily recommended!

I must confess, I originally bought this CD for the track listing, having no idea who this Argentine phenomess was. Listening to the Liszt concerto that opens the collection was nice - it's not one of my favorite works, and was new to me as well, so personally, not a great starting point from which to gauge Argerich's phenomenal talent. But then the Ravel Sonatine that follows seems as if it were written for her, and the first CD closes with the incomparable 1982 recording of Rachmaninoff's legendary Third Piano Concerto (the same work that drove Geoffrey Rush's character in _Shine_ to madness.) The second movement played by Argerich is about as good as piano gets, and while she can bring out the beauty and colors of that movement, she has more than enough raw power and fire for the other two. (It's too bad they cut off the applause at the end after thirty seconds!) The Rach 3 and Gaspard de la Nuit are the prizes of this collection. Her mastery of Ravel's most difficult piano work (and arguably one of the most hellacious pieces ever written, Scarbo) is absolutely unbelievable. Wait for her to nearly lull you to sleep in the creepy "Le Gibet" then make you sit bolt upright at a very unexpected point. And, glory be, she can play Bach too! The Partita is amazing, as is the Prokofiev concerto - her talent knows no bounds, and she certainly does not (and need not!) confine herself to any period or composer, though she shines most brightly with the early 20th century masterpieces by Rachmaninoff and Ravel. If you own one piano album in your life, make it this one (or Alicia de Larrocha's Iberia/Goyescas) - but this is an astonishing collection of very diverse, difficult pieces played with a level of brilliance and fire I have not heard before or since.

Martha Argerich is a goddess. I confess when I hear her play, it makes me want to give up piano because I know that I will never even play even a measure of that Rachmaninoff the way she can. I can't understand how someone who look so vulnerable and so petite has such an unbelievable power coming out of her.
I cannot listen to another artist play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.3 after hearing hers. Not Horowitz, not Ashkenazy, you name it.
It is as finally, the piano has stopped being just an instrument and become a life in its own right.
Buy this CD, you will understand why she's a legend.