Martha Argerich - Classical Music Radio Show

Martha Argerich--Iconoclast. On Classical And a Bit More-Radio Free Brooklyn. In celebration of Women's History Month and Classical music. https://www.radiofreebrooklyn.org/show-archive/?episode=RADIO6691598481&epuid=f6a236d6-1b21-11ee-af0b-cbb8ace6b8fa Martha Argerich is probably the greatest living pianist in the world. Martha Argerich’s playing, and her iconoclasm, are something of an obsession for millions of her fans. She once stated, “I love playing piano, but I don’t like being a pianist.” Argerich is in her 80s now, and over a long career she has given few interviews. She has an unmatched technical sophistication, just absolutely stunning, and without affectation. Argerich combines this extraordinary technical ability with an incredible passion for the music. Critics almost invariably mention her looks, and yet Argerich over her entire career has consistently rejected wearing exorbitantly designer outfits or otherwise cashing in on her looks. Argerich performs in unflashy, tasteful clothing. Argerich is also a polyglot, and can speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, English, and Portuguese. Argerich’s personal life is often characterized as chaotic. In reality, Martha Argerich simply displays without ostentation her passion for the music and her healthy aversion to convention. As Alex Ross, classical music critic for "The New Yorker" puts it: “Musicians have a history of falling in love with her and coming away crushed by the force of her personality. It is said that one of her amours would labor for hours over a difficult score, only to watch Argerich, a person of nocturnal habits, slouch downstairs in the middle of the afternoon, rub her eyes, and sight-read the music effortlessly.” Marta Argerich was born in Buenos Aires on the 5th of June 1941. Argerich showed her musical talents very early in life. When she was in kindergarten, a boy challenged her, saying she could not play the piano. Argerich responded by playing perfectly, by ear, a piece their teacher played them. Argerich gave her debut concert in 1949, when she was eight, playing both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s "Piano Concerto No. 20" in D minor and Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 1" in C major. At age 16, Argerich won both the Geneva International Music Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition in 1957. In 1965, Argerich gained international prominence when she won the VII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1965, at age 24. Argerich has often stated that her greatest love of all is Beethoven. This edition of Classical And a Bit More starts off with Beethoven’s "Piano Concerto No. 3 "in C minor, Opus 37. That is followed by the Toccata in C minor. BWV 911, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Next up is the "Piano Sonata No. 3" in B minor, by Frédéric Chopin. Then the listener is treated to the "Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion," Sz. 110, by Béla Bartók. The program concludes with "Tango Pathétique," by Peter Kiesewetter.