Customer Reviews

Debut Recital / Martha Argerich

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This Liszt sonata knocked me flat when I heard it. I was familiar with the sonata before hearing Argerich perform it, but in her hands it is something completely new. Her performance encompasses all the aspects of the music, from the rapid virtuouso flourishes to the serene beginning and ending of the sonata. Because of Argerich, the Liszt sonata is now one of my favorite works for piano. You simply must hear this.

The cd is called Debut Recital, and that's what you get on the rest of the cd. Argerich's runs up and down the keyboard are seamless in her Chopin. She makes it seem as if the piano could never ever be a percussive instrument. Of course she throws in Prokofiev's toccata to take full advantage of the keyboard's mechanical capabilities. When I listen to how fast she plays the end of the toccata, I wonder how it's even possible to play that fast. Her fingers play the notes faster than I can think them!

There are of course Argerich's detractors who believe that she is a brainless virtuouso who plays fast just to play fast, or plays violently just to play violently, simply because she can. Horowitz's critic accused him of similar "crimes." To fall into the same musical category as Horowitz is never bad. Yes, when Argerich plays, the music is as much hers as it is the composer's. And that is what makes her a great interpreter. Every time she performs, she brings something new to the music. Musical performance should be anything but homogeneous. If you want something performed specifically the way Chopin wrote it, you can find that elsewhere. Look to Argerich, though, for pure originality. You'll find her innovative genius throughout this wonderful disk.

Martha Argerich's performance of the Liszt is slowly gaining the recognition it deserves, as one of the greatest recordings of history, and not merely of the piano. One critic asked "How is it possible to play the piano this way?", and that nearly sums up the sense of stupefaction one feels on first encountering this radical interpretation, one of such delicacy, demonic technical prowess and overarching beauty that others seem stodgily unimaginative by its side.

Unlike all the other famous recordings -- those by Horowitz, Brendel, Pollini, Zimerman and Richter come to mind -- Argerich see this as sensual music, an uninterrupted flow of ideas, and her fingers are more than equal to any in the former group. Perhaps even more astonishing than her titanic octaves or spitfire arepggios are the slow moments: the final pages of the sonata are like a farewell, perfectly controlled, like someone waving ever more softly into the distance. In my view, this is by far the greatest version of the sonata to have appeared.

The remainder of the recital is magnificent, and one can only imagine the shock of its appearance, a nearly unknown girl from Argentina with a technique and ingrained musicality that would become the envy of all who heard her. The standouts are a high-voltage Liszt Sixth Rhapsody, with octave cascades that have never been bettered, a spiky, metallic rendering of a Prokofiev Toccata (a competition mainstay that sounds so often stilted) and, perhaps my favorite of the set, a Ravel Jeux D'Eau of exquisite refinement and tonal beauty. The Chopin pieces that fill out the recital are both excellent as well.

Without doubt, one of the great piano recordings.

If I were forced to eliminate my entire collection of classical recordings with the exception of one CD, this would be that CD. In short, it encompasses all of what Martha Argerich stands for as an artist; there is the unbridled passion, sensitivity, and inhuman virtuosity that all of her fans are all too familiar with. Every single work on this CD is a gem. The Chopin Scherzo is a piece Argerich has recorded several times, and here, it is as exciting as she has ever played it. The Brahms Rhapsodies are full of passion and possess a certain degree of maturity one may not at first suspect from such a firebrand virtuoso, and the Ravel is complete with shimmering textures and brilliantly original rubatos. The highlights of the disc, however, are the Liszt and Prokofiev performances. Argerich plays the opening of the Hungarian Rhapsody in a suitably pompous, almost arrogant manner, and the speed and audacity of the octave section is simply mind-boggling. The Prokofiev Toccata receives the best performance on record (Horowitz is the only competition, but his cuts are unnecessary and his additions superfluous). The Liszt Sonata is simply scintillating; Argerich manages to bring together the structural finesse of Pollini and the emotional intensity and impetuousness of Zimerman. This CD will amaze, enlighten, inspire, and hypnotize any lover of the repertoire. I give it the highest recommendation possible...wait, no, higher!

A long time ago, I found myself wondering through a book/music store. They happened to have a quite small, but quite good music selection. I was browsing, looking for something to buy, since I hadn't spent a dime on a recording in sometime. Among the titles I was considering were Richter's Sofia recital, Ashkenazy's reading of the complete Prokofiev concertos, and even Serkin playing a few Beethoven sonatas. I would later find out that any of these recordings would have provided a feast of riches. But alone they couldn't have prepared me for what I was about to be in for. I decided, finally, to go with the Martha Argerich 'Debut Recital'. You see, I had heard alot about Martha Argerich, but didn't own a single recording of her at that time. I figured it was about time to see what all the fuss was about. Words couldn't describe what I experienced that night...Sure, since then I have heard alot of great recordings. The Barcarolle on this disc was soon rivaled by Rubinstein. The sonata...By Zimerman, or Horowitz...The Hungarian rhapsody, well, Cziffra practically owns those...But despite all those others, there is still a special place in my heart for these recordings. I have never heard such brilliant playing, even today. Absolutely Phenomenal, Impassioned playing. The scherzo, the Toccata, an absolute emberesment of riches. If I could own one recording, this would be it. Buy this CD. Hopefully it will do for you what it did for me.

From the first moments of the recording of Chopin's third scherzo it is easy to see why this recording caused such a stir when it first appeared in the early 1960s: Martha Argerich displays a masterful technique and touch at the keyboard while still pushing the envelope of "standard" performance practices. Her playing may not be everyone's favorite, but you can't help but be drawn into the music and the music-making throughout. Where a pianist like Rubinstein played this scherzo with more understatement and elegance, Argerich provides plenty of shading and fire at every turn.

The recording continues with beautifully long and singing lines in two rhapsodies of Brahms, and then whips back into the excitement with an energetic reading of Prokofiev's toccata. In the latter, she shows clear promise to challenge Richter as an interpreter of this composer.

Argerich's touch is very gentle in Ravel's Jeux d'eau, playing the tops of the keys rather than directly into them. I prefer recordings of Ravel by old master Walter Gieseking or the young virtuoso Boris Berezovsky, but am probably among a small minority on this point.

While many consider this recording of the Liszt B-minor sonata to be among the best, I actually prefer recordings from Claudio Arrau, Maurizio Pollini, and, yes, even Van Cliburn. Nonetheless, the performance is polished and well-crafted---Argerich is able to draw a rich, sometimes dark, often roaring tone from the piano.

Skip the Great Pianists of the 20th century disks on Argerich and go straight to the source: buy this disk and enjoy an exciting debut recording.

Overall, this is a wonderful CD. Considering she was only 20 years when she recorded most of these pieces (the Liszt Sonata was recorded ten years later in 1971), Ms. Argerich's achievement takes one's breath away all the more. The Chopin on this CD, however, exhibits the same "horse without a bridle" approach which, while it works very well with Liszt's Rhapsody and Prokofiev's Toccata, does not go well with Chopin at all. Perhaps this is a combination of a fiery temperament and the drinking of gallons of strong coffee during recording sessions. In any case, Ms. Argerich's more or less uncontrolled approach to Chopin is best exposed when compared with Juana Zayas's even more fabulous account of the Barcarolle, Preludes, and even Etudes (though Ms. Argerich has yet to record the entire cycle). As for the rest, Ms. Argerich approaches perfection more closely than any other. She plays with personality but doesn't obscure the music by gimickry. She dazzles with substance.

This disc is the testimony of the true genius of Martha Argerich. She uses her more than perfect technique to bring to life whatever she plays. Truly, her playing is of the utmost virtuosity, but never for the sake of the viruosity. Instead she creates colours and atmospheres in such pieces as Ravel's Yeux d'eau or Prokofieff's Toccata which have to be heard to be believed. What an incredible achievement of a girl who wasn't even 20 years old ! Her 1972 recording of the Liszt Sonata completes this marvellous disc. Her fiery temperament, her brilliant fingerwork and her perfectly timed lyrical playing makes this performance take your breath away from the first till the last note. This disc offers a selection of pieces in which Argerich is simply at her best. Buy it !

Martha Argerich took the piano world by storm with her brand of aggressive, expressive piano playing coupled with brilliant technique and all of these qualities are on display here. She has achieved a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of Romantic Music and perhaps the first signs of this can be seen in this wonderful debut recording.

The programme is wonderfully varied with Chopin, Brahms, Prokofiev and Lizst. Argerich, with her win at the 1965 Chopin Piano Competition is well-known for her Chopin and this shows in her excellent rendition of the Scherzo where she manages to convey a wealth of different emotions in a short piece but I have to agree that the best pieces on this CD are the Brahms rhapsodies. There are few finer recordings that this and it shows Argerich at her most dynamic and interpretive.

This CD has been a bestseller since its release and justifiably so. It is mind-boggling to realize that Argerich was only 19 when this recording was made and perhaps another reason to marvel at this incredible performance.

I've never paid attention to the Liszt Sonata until I heard this recording. I canNOT BELIEVE some people are calling her without soul or "muddy"... This is the single most inspiring and shocking CD. Really gives you chills when you listen to it. Makes your heart beat faster.

I would not protest if anybody called Martha Argerich the greatest pianist of the 20th century -- even if it is too courageous to label anyone with such an unequivocal attribute. But this debut recording of hers (1961), generously on one CD (and for a good price) with astonishing Liszt's Sonata (recorded in 1971) would justify such a claim...

Argerich's interpretation of Chopin is flawless, as always. Besides the Sonata, also Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt is well-nigh perfect. Brahms' Rhapsodies she infuses with sustained power and tangible emotion, while she resists the temptation to play Ravel's "Jeux d'eau" too fast, rather letting the relaxed piano fountains run their spectacular game. Toccata No.11 by Prokofiev is a welcome enrichment, with wildly fast octave sequence toward the end of the piece.

This album is a treasure.