Tag: Martha Argerich

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Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her paternal ancestors were Catalans based in Buenos Aires since the 18th century. Her maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, who settled in Colonia Villa Clara in the Entre Ríos province. The provenance of the name Argerich is Catalonia, Spain.

Martha Argerich started playing the piano at age three. At the age of five, she moved to teacher Vincenzo Scaramuzza, who stressed to her the importance of lyricism and feeling. Argerich gave her debut concert in 1949 at the age of eight.

The family moved to Europe in 1955, where Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Austria. Juan Perón, then the president of Argentina, made their decision possible by appointing her parents to diplomatic posts in the Argentine Embassy in Vienna. She later studied with Stefan Askenase and Maria Curcio. Argerich also seized opportunities for brief periods of coaching with Madeleine Lipatti (widow of Dinu Lipatti), Abbey Simon, and Nikita Magaloff.

The pianists Argerich, Kissin, Pletnev, Levine, perform Bach's concerto for 4 harpsichords on modern pianos

Bach – Concerto For 4 Keyboards – Argerich, Levine, Kissin, Pletnev

Bach arranged Vivaldi’s Op 3 No 10 (RV 580) to a concerto for 4 keyboards and strings (BWV 1065). Johann Sebastian Bach made a number of transcriptions of Antonio Vivaldi’s concertos, especially from his Op. 3 set, entitled L’estro armonico.

20th-CENTURY MUSIC / Piano

Ravel – Scarbo – Martha Argerich, Piano

Scarbo is the third and last movement from Gaspard de la Nuit, Trois poèmes pour piano d’après Aloysius Bertrand, a suite of piano pieces by Maurice Ravel, written in 1908. The work was premiered in Paris, on January 9, 1909, by Ricardo Viñes.

Martha Argerich plays Ravel's Jeux d'eau

IMPRESSIONIST MUSIC / Piano

Ravel – Water Games – Argerich, Piano

Jeux d’eau is a piece in E Major for solo piano by Maurice Ravel. The title is often translated as “Fountains”, “Playing water” or literally “Water Games”.

Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor - Martha Argerich

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Sonata

Chopin – Piano Sonata No. 3 – Martha Argerich

Chopin’s Piano Sonata No 3 in B Minor, Op. 58, is the last of the composer’s piano sonatas. Completed in 1844 and dedicated to Countess Émilie de Perthuis, the work is considered to be one of Frédéric Chopin’s most difficult compositions, both technically and musically.

The pianist Martha Argerich is performing Chopin's Polonaise Heroic No. 6 in A-flat major

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Polonaise

Polonaise Héroïque No. 6 (Chopin) – Martha Argerich, Piano

The Polonaise No 6 in A-flat major, Op. 53 was called Polonaise Héroïque (heroic) in french) by Frédéric Chopin’s French lover, the writer Georges Sand. This composition is one of Chopin’s most admired and has long been a favorite of the classical piano repertoire.

IMPRESSIONIST MUSIC / Piano

Debussy – Prelude à l’Après-midi d’un Faune – Argerich & Kovacevich

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, known in English as Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration. It was composed in the year 1894, the same year that the piece was first performed.

Chopin - Nocturne No 16 in E-Flat Major - Martha Argerich, Piano

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Nocturne / Piano

Chopin – Nocturne No. 16 – Argerich, Piano

The two Nocturnes, Op 55 by Frédéric Chopin, the fifteenth and sixteenth of his nocturnes, were composed between 1842 and 1844, and published in August 1844.

Beethoven - Concerto No. 2 - Argerich, Piano

CLASSICAL MUSIC / Concerto / Piano

Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 2 – Argerich; Barenboim

The Concerto No 2 was composed primarily between 1787 and 1789, although it did not attain the form in which it was published until 1795. Beethoven did write a second finale for it in 1798 for performance in Prague, but that is not the finale that was published.

Martha Argerich plays Brahms' rhapsody No. 1

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Rhapsody

Brahms – Rhapsody No. 1 – Martha Argerich, Piano

The Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano were written by Johannes Brahms in 1879 during his summer stay in Pörtschach, when he had reached the maturity of his career.

Liszt - Piano Sonata in B Minor - Argerich, Piano

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Sonata

Liszt – Sonata in B Minor – Martha Argerich, Piano

The Piano Sonata in B minor is a sonata for solo piano by Franz Liszt. It was completed in 1853 and published in 1854 with a dedication to Robert Schumann in return for his dedication of his Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 (published 1839) to Liszt.