Cast
Martha Argerich — Pianist
Program notes
"Argerich brings to bear qualities that are seldom contained in one person: she is a pianist of brainteasing technical agility; she is a charismatic woman with an enigmatic reputation; she is an unaffected interpreter whose native language is music. This last may be the quality that sets her apart. A lot of pianists play huge double octaves; a lot of pianists photograph well. But few have the unerring naturalness of phrasing that allows them to embody the music rather than interpret it."
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker
Martha Argerich has been through enough to fill several lifetimes, much of it already the stuff of legend: a concert debut in Buenos Aires at age 8 and back-to-back wins at the Geneva and Busoni Competitions in 1957; a remarkably assured 1960 debut recording and a commanding victory at the 1965 Chopin Competition in Warsaw; sold-out performances of the most difficult concerto repertoire and extraordinary chamber collaborations with friends; a triumphant return to the stage after a cancer scare in the 1990s and plaudits from critics, audiences, and contemporaries; multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, two music festivals that bear her name; and, underpinning it all, the faultless artistry and magnetic personality that make her a figure unlike any other in music.
The amazing Argentine turns 80 in 2021, even if her hands don't seem to have gotten the message. Celebrate 80 years of Martha Argerich with this brand-new 80-minute compilation made by medici.tv, featuring clips from dozens of concerts and documentaries made over the last six decades!
Photo: Martha Argerich © Adriano Heitmann/Immagina, Warner Classics
This is just one of over a thousand fascinating documentaries available on medici.tv, the web's leading classical music streaming platform!
More info
Related events
Happy birthday, Martha Argerich!
Event