Search - Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt :: Debut Recital / Martha Argerich

You must have this Liszt sonata

Gregory C. Dyer | Downingtown, PA USA | 08/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

If this isn't Genius, what is?

Gregory C. Dyer | 06/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Five Stars on a Scale of One to Three...

Al Magliano | Nesconset, NY USA | 07/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"