Despite the fact that her character has often lead her towards the virtuosic masterworks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Martha maintains an extensive repertoire, including but by no means limited to the works of Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, and Messiaen, as well as Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, Franck, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky.
Regularly invited by the most prestigious orchestras, conductors and music festivals in Europe, Japan, America, and Israel (with Zubin Mehta and Lahav Shani), chamber music remains a significant part of her musical life. She regularly plays and records with Mischa Maisky, Alexandre Rabinovitch, Gidon Kremer, and Daniel Barenboim, of which she has said : "This harmony within a group of people gives me a strong and peaceful feeling". She performed and recorded with Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire for more than 50 years.
Martha Argerich has recorded for EMI, Sony, Philips, Teldec, and DGG, with many of her performances broadcast on television worldwide. She has also been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including a Grammy for her recording of the Bartók and Prokofiev Concertos, “Gramophon – Artist of the Year” and “Best Piano Concerto Recording of the Year” for her recording of the Chopin concertos, “Choc” of the Monde de la Musique, “Künstler des Jahres Deutscher Schallplatten Kritik”, as well as further Grammy awards for her recording of Prokofiev’s Cinderella with Mikhael Pletnev, and of Beethoven’s Second and Third Concertos with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Claudio Abbado (DGG / Best Instrumental Soloist Performance).
With the intention of helping young musicians, Martha became Artistic Director of the Beppu Festival in Japan in 1998. In 1999 she created the International Piano Competition and Festival Martha Argerich in Buenos Aires and, in June 2002, the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano. In 2018, she launched the Martha Argerich Festival in Hamburg.
A quick career overview:
- 1949: Concert début in Buenos Aires at the age of eight.
- 1955: After studies in Argentina, Argerich embarks for Europe to study with Friedrich Gulda, Madeleine Lipatti and Nikita Magaloff.
- 1957: First Prizes for piano in the Geneva and Busoni Competitions.
- July 1960: Recording début with solo pieces by Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Ravel and Prokofiev.
- 1964: After a period of self-doubt, Argerich meets the pianist Stefan Askenase and his wife, and she credits the latter for having made her play again and perform in public once more. She goes on to become one of the most acclaimed international piano stars.
- 1980: Resigns from the jury of the Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in protest at its failure to give Ivo Pogorelich a place in the finals.
- 1992: Diapason d’Or.
- 1993: Edison Award.
- 1995: The last two of her complete Beethoven Violin Sonata recordings with Gidon Kremer are released.
- 1999: First Martha Argerich Piano Competition in Buenos Aires.
- 2001: German Record Critics’ Award.
- 2004: Grammy for “Best Chamber Music Performance”.
- 2005: Grammy for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra)”.
- 2007: The Ruhr Piano Festival (Essen, Germany) awards her a lifetime achievement prize.
- 2012: Four CDs of her Lugano Concertos are released.
- 2014: A CD of duos with Daniel Barenboim is released.
Martha Argerich has been awarded numerous distinctions, amongst them:
- “Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” in 1996
- “Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres ” in 2004
- "Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur" in 2023 by the French Government
- “Accademica di Santa Cecilia” in Rome in 1997
- “Musician of the Year” by Musical America 2001
- “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette“ by the Emperor of Japan
- “Praemium Imperiale“ awarded by the Japan Art Association in 2005
- “Kennedy Center Honors“ awarded by Barack Obama in December 2016
- “Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana“, awarded by Sergio Mattarella in October 2018
