Freely sharing passions for classical music, literature, and art (intuitive art, including watercolour painting, neurographic art & neurographica), science, biographies, films & soundtracks, icons & legends. (down memory lane, in remembrance...)
Martha Argerich (born June 5, 1941), is an Argentine-Swiss classical concert pianist. She is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of all time.Argerich is a polyglot and has lived in Belgium, Switzerland (where she has citizenship) and France. A precocious child, Argerich began nursery aged two years and eight months, where she was the youngest child. She started learning the piano at the age of
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 remarkable age of eight, playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and Beethoven's First Piano Concerto in C major.
The family moved to Europe in 1955, where Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Austria, whom Argerich describes as one of her major influences. She later studied with other prominent piano teachers at the time. In 1957, at sixteen, she won both the Geneva International Music Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition within three weeks of each other. Following this success, Argerich had a personal and artistic crisis; she did not play the piano for three years and considered giving it up to train as a secretary or doctor. She credited Anny Askenase (the wife of Stefan Askenase) with encouraging her to return to the piano. Following her return, Argerich won the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in 1965.
Argerich has been married three times. Her first marriage, to composer-conductor Robert Chen and with whom she had a daughter, lawyer and violist Lyda Chen-Argerich, ended in 1964. From 1969 to 1973, Argerich was married to Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, with whom she had a daughter, Annie Dutoit. Argerich continues to record and perform with Dutoit. In the 1970s, she was also briefly married to pianist Stephen Kovacevich, with whom she has a daughter, Stéphanie. Although they made few recordings together during their marriage, Argerich and Kovacevich still frequently perform together.
Argerich gained international prominence when she won the seventh International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1965, at age 24. In that same year, she debuted in the United States in Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series. In 1960, she had made her first commercial recording; it received critical acclaim upon its release in 1961. She has since recorded works by composers. It is with Schumann's works that she describes feeling a particular connection to.
Argerich has remarked in interviews of feeling "lonely" on stage during solo performances. Since the 1980s, she has staged few solo performances, concentrating instead on concertos and, in particular, chamber music, collaborating with instrumentalists in sonatas.
In 1990, Argerich was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. After
treatment, the cancer went into remission, and a recurrence in 1995, eventually metastasizing to her lungs and lymph nodes. Following an experimental treatment at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica pioneered by oncologist Donald Morton, Argerich's cancer went into remission again. In gratitude, Argerich performed a Carnegie Hall recital benefiting the institute. As of 2020, Argerich remained cancer-free.
Through her
annual festival and her appearances as a member of the jury at international competitions, Argerich has also promoted younger pianists. She performs annually at the Lugano Festival. She has also created and been a General Director of the Argerich Music Festival and Encounter in Beppu, Japan, since 1996.
In 2002, director Georges Gachot [de] released Martha Argerich, Evening Conversation, a documentary film. Stéphanie Argerich Blagojevic directed a documentary film about her mother, Bloody Daughter, based on film shot since her childhood.
Despite her aversion to the press and publicity that has resulted in her remaining out of the limelight for most of her career, she is widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists in history. Her performance of Liszt's First Piano Concerto conducted by Daniel Barenboim at The Proms 2016 prompted this review in The Guardian:
"It was an unforgettable performance. Argerich celebrated her 75th
birthday in June this year, but that news doesn’t seem to have reached her fingers. Her playing is still as dazzling, as frighteningly precise, as it has always been; her ability to spin gossamer threads of melody
as matchless as ever. This was unmistakably and unashamedly Liszt in the grand manner, a bit old-fashioned and sometimes even a bit vulgar at times, but in this of all concertos, with Barenboim and the orchestra following each twist and turn, every little quickening and moment of expressive reflection, it seemed entirely
appropriate".
Argerich returned to the Proms at the age of 78 in 2019 to perform Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto under the baton of Barenboim, a performance described as "mesmerizing".
Awards:
Argerich is multi-awarded worldwide with highest honours in the area of her expertise.
Franz Schubert's Impromptus are a series of eight pieces for solo piano composed in 1827, published in two sets of four impromptus each:
The first two pieces in
this Set 1 in D 899, Op. 90 - were published in Schubert's lifetime as Op. 90. The third and fourth pieces were published in 1857
(although the third piece was printed by the publisher in G major,
instead of G-flat as Schubert had written it, and remained available
only in this key for many years).
I'm sharing two interpretations from two brilliant interpreters of Schubert's music, pianists Maria João Pires and Alfred Brendel.
Note: The second set, D. 935, Op. 142, was published posthumously, as Op. 142 in 1839 (with a
dedication to Franz Liszt added by the publisher. Three other unnamed piano compositions (D. 946), written a few months before the composer's death, in May 1828, are also known as both "Impromptus"
and Klavierstücke ("piano pieces").
French composer, founder of Music Impressionism: Short profile of the life and works of Claude Debussy. He is mainly famous for piano music Clair de lune and orchestral La mer and Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.
French composer Claude Debussy reached his career peak when the late Romantics like Liszt and Wagner were coming to an end. He is often called a musical 'Impressionist' as aligned with French impressionism painters Monet, Renoir, and Degas.
Beginnings
Debussy did not come from a musical family but was encouraged to take up music at an early age. He was born on August 22, 1862 in St Germain-en-Laye. At the age of 10, he studied with Guiraud at the Paris Conservatoire.Initially, he planned to be a virtuoso pianist but he abandoned it when won the coveted Prix de Rome competition twice.
Early Impressions
In his early years, he travelled extensively to Vienna, Italy and Russia. He also spent some years in Rome but often he was not happy. He was known to be unsociable even as a youth.
I've chosen to feature Claude Debussy's "Clair de lune" beautifully performed on the piano by composer and pianist Sally Whitwell. Sal is an ARIA Award-winning Australian pianist.
Hungarian composer Franz Liszt composed Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, over a 26-year period; the main themes date from 1830, while the final version is dated 1849. The concerto consists of four movements and lasts approximately 20 minutes. It was first performed on February 17, 1855, in Weimar ith Liszt at the piano and Hector Berlioz conducting.
Below, piano virtuoso Martha Argerich, remarkably interprets Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1. Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
Enrico Fagone, conductor.
Martha Argerich interpreting the same piece, Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Daniel Barenboim
conducting, this time with Vienna Philharmonic. Musicverein, Golden Hall, December 2017.(Uploaded by Cristian Radu. Accessed Nov 13, 2018.)
This post is to celebrate the 220th birthday anniversary of Austrian cocmposer Franz Schubert. In particular, I have embedded the video of an all-time favourite, his last piano sonata D. 969, magnificently interpreted by Sviatoslav Richter.
Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas, D 958, 959 and 960, are his last major piano compositions. They were written during the last months of his life, between the
spring and autumn of 1828, but were not published until about ten years
after his death, in 1838–39. Like the rest of h is piano sonatas, they were mostly neglected in the 19th century. By the late 20th century, however, public and critical opinion had
changed. These sonatas are now considered among the most important
of the composer's mature masterpieces; part of the core piano
repertoire, appearing regularly on concert programs and recordings.
Piano sonata D.960 Tracks:
I. Molto moderato
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace con delicatezza
IV. Allegro, ma non troppo
André Previn, KBE, was a German-born American conductor, pianist and composer, born on April 6, 1929.
Previn was one of the most versatile musicians of the 20th century, and winner of Academy Awards for his film work. He won many Grammy Awards for his recordings.
Karol Maciej Korwin-Szymanowski (October 6, 1882 - March 28, 1937), was a polish composer and pianist. He was born in Tymoszówka, then part of Poland, now in present-day Ukraine. He studied music privately with his father before going to Gustav Neuhaus' Elizawetgrad School of Music from 1892, and from 1901, the State Conservatory in Warsaw, of which he was later director.
Szymanowski was influenced by the music of Richard Strauss, Max Reger, Alexander Scriabin and the impressionism of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. He also drew much influence from his countryman Frédéric Chopin and Polish folk music, and like Chopin he wrote a number of mazurkas for piano (the mazurka being a Polish folk dance).
Czech composer, harpist and pianist: Johann "Jan" Ladislaus Dussek
Jan Ladislav Dussek (more known as Václav Jan Dusík) (Feb 12, 1760 - Mar 20, 1812) was a Czech composer and pianist. He was born at Caslav, Bohemia (now Czech Republic).
The Dussek family has a long history as professional musicians, starting from Jan Ladislav's grandfather, and lasting into the 1970s. Jan Ladislav is often known as "Dussek the Great". His mother was a harpist, and therefore not surprisingly he composed much music for the harp as well as for the piano.
After early studies, Dussek traveled to the Netherlands and Germany, where he may have studied with C.P.E. Bach. From there, he moved to St. Petersburg in Russia, where he was a favourite of Catherine the Great for a time. However, he fled St. Petersburg just ahead of Catherine's secret police, who accused him of involvement in a plot to assassinate Catherine. Given Dussek's lifelong royalist sympathies, his well-attested personal good looks, and Catherine's proclivity for beautiful young men, a different explanation seems more probable.
Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent of the Classical period. He was known as the 'Father of the Symphony.'
Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria. Along with that of Mozart, he epitomised the early Classical era. The son of a wheelwright, he went to St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna as a chorister. He was mainly self-taught in composition however gained maturity as a composer. Haydn was married to Maria Anna Aloysia Apollonia Keller (m. 1760–1800.) His younger brother, Michael Haydn was also a composer. He was known affectionately as "Papa" Haydn to his young friend Wolfgang Mozart. He was a tutor of
Ludwig van Beethoven for a brief period.
In 1761, at the age of 29 (his young friend Mozart was then five years
old), Haydn took employment with the Esterhazy family, a post he held
for the rest of his life. On the death of Prince Nikolaus in 1790, he
accepted an invitation to go to England from the impresario Salomon,
where he composed many symphonies.
Joseph Haydn was a major exponent of sonata form in his numerous chamber and orchestral works having written more than 100 symphonies. He was also the first great master of the string quartet.
Haydn is famous for his oratorio "The Creation" (German: Die Schöpfung)and "The Seasons" (German: Die Jahreszeiten). He wrote many symphonies and string quartets. He was instrumental in
the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. His
contributions to musical form have earned him the epithets "Father of
the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet". Haydn spent much of
his career as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy
family at their remote estate. Until the later part of his life, this
isolated him from other composers and trends in music so that he was, as
he put it, "forced to become original". Yet his music circulated
widely, and for much of his career he was the most celebrated composer
in Europe.
Pianist Martha Argerich performing Haydn's Piano Concerto in D major, Hob. XVIII:11. YouTube, uploaded by Roberto Carvalho de Magalhães. Accessed February 9, 2018. (Added info from Hyperion for those who want to know more about this concerto by Haydn - Here.)
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 composed in 1909 by Sergei Rachmaninoff considered one of the most technically challenging piano concertos in the standard classical repertoire. It is used in the 1996 film Shine, based on the life of pianist David Helfgott.
The video below is performed by piano virtuoso Martha Argerich, with Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Chailly.
Following the form of a standard concerto, the piece is in three movements: 0:28 - Allegro ma non tanto, 16:27 - Intermezzo: Adagio, and 27: 27 - Finale: Alla breve
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was a Polish composer and piano player. His music was exclusively written for piano. He lived in Paris since 1830, aged 20, where he changed his name into Frédéric François Chopin. He is famous for Piano concertos 1 and 2, nocturnes, etudes, mazukas, and the popular solo piano "Fantaisie-Impromptu".
Frédéric François Chopin was born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, on March 1, 1810, in Zelazowa Wola, Masovia region, Duchy of Warsaw, Poland. His father, named Mikolaj (Nicolas) Chopin, was a Frenchman who came to Poland from Lorraine, and eventually became professor at Warsaw Lyceum. His mother, named Tekla Justina Krzyzanovska, was a relative of Polish Countess Ludwika Skarbkowa, owner of the Zelazowa Wola estate.
From 1816-1822 Chopin studied piano under professional musician Wojcech Zywny. He wrote his first piano compositions at the age of 7. At 8, he gave piano concerts and wanted to become a professional piano player.
In 1820, Chopin moved with his family to Warsaw. There he gained a reputation as a "second Mozart" for his piano playing. He moved to Paris in 1830, aged 20, where he was welcomed by important composers of his time like Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz as well as no prominent authors like Heinrich Heine and Honoré de Balzac.
The aristocratic circles had Chopin playing in their salon all the time, especially his own polonaise compositions which were inspired by his Polish background.
Note: Apology, the video of the legendary concert pianist Martha Argerich playing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, with Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk, is no longer available when I revisited Youtube (1 March 2024). Instead, I found this link: Here. I hope this stays available: Martha Argerich: Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11(Live in Warsaw, 1999). Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Alexandre Rabinovitch May 14, 1999 Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa.
Below, I found this video uploaded by Michael Nichols: Martha Argerich interpreting Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, conducted by Bernard Klee. The orchestra is not mentioned. Accessed 1 March 2024.
Rachmaninoff was a superb pianist, a brilliant composer and conductor. His music is 19th century rooted yet adheres to Classical form. His concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, are among the most popular in piano and orchestra literature. He was a protégé of Piotr Tchaikovsky.
Sergei (Sergey) Rachmaninoff (also Rachmaninov or Rakhmaninov) was a Russian composer, conductor and pianist. He was born in Semyonovo, 1 April 1873.
Pianist and Composer
Initially, he studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1882 and later at the Moscow Conservatory in 1885-1892. It was during this time that he showed himself to be an outstanding pianist. In 1891, he wrote his first piano concerto and his well-known Prelude C#. Two years later, he scored success with Aleko, his first opera composition as his graduation work.
Symphony No. 1 written in 1895 was not successful causing him emotional stress.With the help of a hypnotist Dr. Dahl, he returned to composition. His confidence returned with the huge success of his Piano Concerto No.2 in 1901.He dedicated this concerto to Dr. Dahl. The following year he married his cousin Natalie Satin.
Below, listen and enjoy Rachmaninoff's famous Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30, in the powerful interpretation and
superb performance of 18-year old gold medalist Yunchan Lim: his emotion, his
technique. Likewise brilliantly conducted by Marin Alsop, with Fort
Worth Symphony Orchestra. 2022 Cliburn Competition. Accessed April 1, 2023.
