DVD : Martha Argerich and Friends
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305755401
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 630575540X
Label: Geneon [Pioneer]
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Geneon [Pioneer]
Region Code: 1
Release Date: February 29, 2000
Running Time: 56 minutes
Sales Rank: 61513
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Theatrical Release Date: 1982
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Editorial Review:
Description:
A rare filmed performance of one of the greatest pianists of all times, Martha Argerich. Argerich is almost as well known for her reclusive nature as she is for her exciting performances. In this DVD release we are privileged to have captured Martha Argerich at her peak in three separate duets. These collaborations present an involved musical conversation unmatched by any solo performance. Martha Argerich and Nicolas Economou perform Mozart's "Piano Sonata for Four Hands in D major, K. 381," and then, together with Mischa Maisky, Argerich plays Schuman's "Phantasiestücke op.73, No. 1-3." Finally, Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire perform two pieces; Rachmaninov's "Suite for Two Pianos no. 2, Op.17" and Ravel's "La Valse." This DVD release includes the unique feature of optional on-screen analysis of the music being performed as well as subtitle display of the mood and tempo. An in-depth biography of each of the performers is included, as are on-screen liner notes, a glossary of musical terms and contemporary history of the compositions. This remastered footage was originally filmed in 1982, and the music was remixed from the original multitrack tapes to a 5.1 dolby digital mix. Audio options include the original non-compressed stereo mix.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Like most of Mozart's piano sonatas, the Sonata for Four Hands is playful, lively and melodic, a fine and appropriately engaging piece with which to begin this video's proceedings and showcase the virtuosic interaction between Argerich and the late Nicolas Economou. Unsurprisingly, Economou is assigned the first of this work's two parts, sparing Argerich the sonata's numerous short trills, flourishes that she admittedly dreads in Scarlatti and Mozart compositions. This is not to suggest that Argerich's secondo isn't rigorous; as usual, she sets a brisk pace that Economou expertly matches, and the playing of the two pianists is perfectly synchronized.
Argerich and Mischa Maisky perform a transcription of Schumann's "Phantasiestücke" for cello and piano, which bears a denser tonality than the original arrangements for clarinet and piano. In the "Zart und mit Ausdruck" and "Lebhaft, leicht" movements, Maisky subtly follows Argerich's lead in echoed variation of the themes that her piano piece establishes; in the final "Rasch und mit Feuer" movement, his cello is aggressively dominant, and both musicians function as flawlessly when playing in concurrent meter. Though Argerich and Maisky have played together on scores of recordings and live performances over the course of thirty years, this early collaboration is just as good as anything they've done of late.
The first of two presentations by Argerich and Nelson Freire is Rachmaninov's Suite for Two Pianos, ... Read More
Rating: -
I've had Jacqueline du Pre's recording of Schumann's Phantasiestücke op.73 for years before I got this DVD. A few notes of comparison. In the du Pre recording, the cellist is clearly the star, the Phantasiestücke a showcase for the cello, the piano mere accompaniment. Gerald Moore is made deliberately unremarkable perhaps, a muted background and ornamentation for the cellist. In this DVD, Argerich does not accompany Mischa Maisky; she performs Schumann with him. Argerich is legend, Maisky a celebrated cellist in his own right, yet there is no grandstanding or obsequious deference between the two. Instead their Phantasiestücke is a beautiful duet of equals, a sonata, a dance between seasoned lovers, a sigh. After their performance I understood more the excess of rubato that is the usual observation on du Pre; it also means that the Phantasiestücke too long drawn out can be dry and boring. We can forgive du Pre for this; she was 17 years old when she performed the piece. The half-fullness of the life of a teenager, however prodigious and gifted, would tell on the performance. One can only wonder how the mature du Pre would have assayed the piece had illness not felled her. With this DVD, we can be thankful that two seasoned artists performed it at their peak. At Argerich and Maisky's hands Schumann's work is infused with epiphany, humor, wisdom, and such nuance that the insight of years can mine. Don't pass up.
Rating: -
It was filmed in 1982. Martha, now in her old age, was still quite attractive then. What struck me instead was the similarities bewteen her and her former teacher Fredrich Gulda: the same kind of hands, the same touch, the equally strong sense of rhythm, and both almost equally dynamic...
Arrau had ears only for her and Barenboim amongst the younger generation. But for the latter, Arrau's assessment might have included his achievement as a conductor. For Martha, Arrau said, "She is not very consistent but she has a revelatory power..."
That power did not come from Gulda alone as he was just a bit short of that himself, albeit that it was him who laid her foundations. Audience who is familiar enough with Gieseking can tell that Martha has absorbed quite a bit from Gieseking and then a bit of Horowitz too. And behind all these was her personality which includes her shyness and her rebellion against the piano and she ran away from it very often and for the longest period three years. An excellent way of not getting mechanical! All these contributed to her unique power.
From Mozart for four hands, we see quite a lot of Martha's hands. And from Rachmaninov, we have much of her bare ( upper as well as lower) arms so that we can see the whole arms/ hands/fingers in action. There isn't any secret about her hands. Her facial expressions and bodily rhythmic movements are instead more telling, some kind of swooning we get from Gieseking's playing.
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Rating:  -
dommage, dommage, un manque flagrant de travail preparatoire a cet enregistrement, une prise de son souvent discutable, ( le coup de canon de la Valse m'a fait croire sur l'instant au passage du mur du son d'un avion a basse altitude !) des prises de vue banales sans interet, mais surtout une interpretation de Martha dans le Mozart frisant la desinvolture avec un ensemble parfois discutable sur des pianos dont on se demande s'ils sont bien accordés. La vedette de cette pietre performance reviendrait plutöt a Nelson Freire au jeu strict bien ciselé, un peu conventionnel. Un manque de respect pour l'auditeur - spectateur que je suis. A la posterité, jugera t on Martha Argerich sur un tel enregistrement ?
Rating: -
This video is an excelent performance. In fact, Argerich was in a peak! Somethings that are not so good:
The Schumann's Fatasie is a very nice piece and the sound is really good. But, I don't know why, the cameras seems to treat Mr. Maisky as a kind of soloist, and Argerich's hands its almost never seen.
The cameras shows the faces of the musicians for a long time, more than necessary. When she was playing with Nelson Freire, there is a camera that shows a frontal vision of the two pianos, you see the "body" of the pianos instead of the hands. The hands appears too, but it could appear more.
Some positive points are:
The sound quality is very, very good. The selection is very special. The last two pieces are very strong. The performance is perfect!
There is some program extras, like biographies and music titles. One of them is a feature called music analisys. It's really interesting. You can listen to the music and see a legend explaining the parts of the music. For example, the parts of the sonata: exposition, codetta, development of the first theme and so on.
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