Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferruccio Busoni, Robert Schumann :: Martha Argerich & Friends Live from the Lugano Festival, 2007

More great chamber music from Lugano, even with an overload

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before commenting on the contents of the latest installment of chamber music from the Lugano Festival in Switzerland, here's the detailed playlist:



Bartók:

Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz 75

Renaud Capuçon (violin) & Martha Argerich (piano)



Beethoven:

Piano Trio No. 5 in D major, Op. 70 No. 1 'The Ghost'

Martha Argerich (piano), Renaud Capuçon (violino) & Mischa Maisky (violoncello)



Piano Quartet in D major, WoO 36, No. 2 for violin, viola, violoncello and piano

Karin Lechner (piano), Alissa Margulis (violin), Lida Chen (viola) & Mark Dobrinsk (cello)



Busoni:

Fantasie für eine Orgelwalze (Mozart/Busoni)

Martha Argerich (piano) & Lilya Zilberstein (piano)



Dohnányi:

PIANO QUINTET No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 (1895)

Nicholas Angelich (piano), Dora Schwarzberg (violin), Lucy Hall (violin), Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg (viola) & Jorge Bosso (cello)



Glinka:

Grand Sextet in E flat major for piano, string quartet & double bass

Alexander Mogilevsky (piano), Lucy Hall (violin), Alissa Margulis (violin), Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg (viola), Mark Drobinsky (cello) & Enrico Fagone (doublebass)



Lutoslawski:

Variations on a Theme of Paganini for 2 Pianos

Martha Argerich (piano) & Mauricio Vallina (piano)



Messiaen:

Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano

Alissa Margulis (violin) & Francesdco Piemontese (piano)



Ravel:

Ma Mère l'Oye

Martha Argerich (piano) & Alexander Mogilevsky (piano)



Daphnis et Chloé (for 2 pianos)

(transcribed for two pianos by Lucien Garban)

Sergio Tiempo (piano) & Karin Lechner (piano)



Schumann:

Andante and Variation for two pianos Op. 46

Martha Argerich (piano) & Gabriela Montero (piano)



Kinderszenen, Op. 15

Martha Argerich (piano)



The most exciting news for Argerich fans is that in 2007 she participated in an unusually high proportion of recorded performances -- seven works in all -- including a rare solo appearance (the Kinderszenen) and, of course, the obligatory two-piano transcriptions that she loves. This year there's no fewer than five, four with Argerich, the highlights for me being Lutoslawski's delightful Paganini Var. and a magnificent Busoni arrangement of a great Mozart fantasua with a festival regular, Lilya Zilberstein. I'm a non-fan of piano duos, frankly, but no one outdoes Argerich in this genre. The fifth two-piano arrangement brings us three numbers from Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2, featuring an Argerich prize protoge, Sergio Tiempo. He and his partner, Karen Lechner, make a dazzling whirlwind of the final Danse generale.



There's too much here for me to review in detail, but I found the "Ghost" trio of Beethoven riveting in the hands of Argerich and friends -- as expected, their reading is impulsive, spontaneous, and original, one of the best I've ever heardd. Argerich's Kinderszenen is masterful, also, touchingly tender and unfussy. The Glinka and Dohnanyi works are welcome rarities, but having never heard a note of either, I can only say that these live performances sound enthusiastic and engaging without convincing me that I had missed two hidden masterpieces.



In all, despite the overload of piano duos, everything here is as delightful as in the previous installments. A must-have for chamber music lovers at EMI's special price.



"

The Argerich Chamber Orgy

M. Zimmermann | Vienna,Austria | 12/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Martha did it again! With the Lugano Festival and her artistic direction she moves forward in repertoire and discovers a lot of chamber music she is now so fond of playing as her fears of performing solo increase more and more. But lucky for us these incredible performances and discoveries have been recorded and released by EMI so that all of us Argerich Fans out there who were not able to travel to Lugano are able to share the joy!

Where else would one hear pieces like a Grand Sextet by Glinka, based on themes of Italian Operas like La Sonnambula and others...one of the greatest discoveries on this box set.

Unlike the former Lugano releases Mme Argerich participates in much more of the performances and brings us f.e. one of the most heartfelt and greatest recordings of Schumann's Kinderszenen ever recorded and even surpassing her own Deutsche Grammophon release by far. These Kinderszenen are so authentic and great that I felt myself jumping out of the seat after listening to them, just saying: "That's it!!!" Almost the same accounts for an outstanding performance of Beethoven's Ghost Trio where Argerich is joined by no others than M.Maisky and R.Capucon who also surpass any other recording I know of this work just for the sheer enthusiasm of it!

A lot of young artists Argerich discovered and serves as a protégé for join the group and so there is a lot to discover in a fantastic reading of Schumann's Andante and Variations for two pianos with Argerich and Gabriela Montero (a regular partner at the Lugano festival). But also some lesser known artists (yet) like Sergio Tiempo and Karin Lechner give a spellbinding rendition of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe Suite for two pianos.

The most remarkable thing on this set is the enthusiasm of everyone participating in these Chamber works so that the three cd set will bring you an incredible amount of joy and a lot of new discoveries in the great field of chamber music!"