Anyone who has ever heard a performance by Martha Argerich knows that the Argentinean pianist is one of the world's great virtuosos. But anyone who has ever seen a performance by Argerich knows that she is also one of the world's most exciting players. Seeing Argerich, however, is severely complicated by the fact that she has limited her public performances entirely to concertos and chamber works -- she stopped playing solo recitals decades ago -- and thereby limited the number of her performances. So for those who have heard but not seen Argerich, this disc of her performances at La Roque d'Athe'ron Piano Festival in the Parc du Cha^teau de Florans in July 2005 will present an opportunity to watch her in action.
And man, oh, man, is it amazing. While the concert opens with a spirited reading of Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony with Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky leading the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the next three works feature Argerich in three different contexts. First, she wails on Prokofiev's monumentally difficult First Piano Concerto, flailing the keyboard with relentless power and faultless accuracy. Then the conductor and orchestra leave the stage and violinist Renaud Capuc,on joins Argerich for an ardently romantic performance of Schumann's A minor Violin Sonata in which Capuc,on is clearly the leader and Argerich is clearly there to sometimes prod but always support his soulful virtuosity. Then the conductor and orchestra return to the stage and along with Capuc,on, Argerich, and Capuc,on's cello-playing brother Gautier give a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto that is highly lyrical in the expositions, intensely dramatic in the developments, and immensely passionate all the time. With clean camera work and crisp sound, this disc should be seen and heard by anyone who loves Martha Argerich. ~ James Leonard, Rovi
Sergei Prokofiev:Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, "Classical"
Sergei Prokofiev:Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10
Robert Schumann:Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105
Ludwig van Beethoven:Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56
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