Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: 1.Allegro maestoso
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: 2a.Quasi adagio
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: 2b.Allegretto vivace- Allegro animato
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Flat, S. 124: 3.Allegro marziale animato
Piano Concerto In G: Allegramente
Piano Concerto In G: Adagio assai
Piano Concerto In G: Presto
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Allegro ma non tanto
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Intermezzo, Adagio
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Finale, Alla breve
Track Listings (15) - Disc #2
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Sinfonia, Grave adagio - Andante
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Allemande
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Courante
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Sarabande
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Rondeaux
Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826: Capriccio
Sonatine: 1.Modere
Sonatine: 2.Mouvement de menuet
Sonatine: 3.Anime
Gaspard de la nuit: 1.Ondine
Gaspard de la nuit: 2.Le gibet
Gaspard de la nuit: 3.Scarbo
Concerto No. 3 In C, Op. 26: 1.Andante- Allegro
Concerto No. 3 In C, Op. 26: 2.Tema con variazione
Concerto No. 3 In C, Op. 26: 3.Allegro ma non troppo
An encounter with the searing artistry of Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich, as her fiercely loyal following attests, can resemble a conversion experience. Like her close friend Nelson Freire, Argerich takes a natural-s... more »ounding, unstudied virtuosity merely as her starting point, so that the most fearsome technical challenges emerge as thrillingly musical ones, as well. In Argerich's landmark account of the Ravel triptych Gaspard de la Nuit, for example, you're almost tempted to forget what an Everest these pieces represent to the most intrepid virtuoso, so gripping are the poetic conjurings. Unpredictability and magnetic presence define Argerich's style, but not at the price of distortion. There isn't a track of filler on this collection, which displays Argerich's range from the glistening, mirrored surfaces of Ravel's Sonatine to a Rachmaninoff Third pushed to the breaking point and back again (in the legendary live recording with Riccardo Chailly--an essential performance of the work), as well as her extraordinarily immediate, vital Bach. Quick tempos and imaginative finger weightings convey personality without pointing away from the music. And in the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1, Argerich's visceral imagination can actually make the score sound better, richer in substance, than it is. One of the top-drawer collections in the entire Philips series, this set offers a portrait of an artist who will involve you in the passion of music making more deeply than you may have thought possible. --Thomas May« less
An encounter with the searing artistry of Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich, as her fiercely loyal following attests, can resemble a conversion experience. Like her close friend Nelson Freire, Argerich takes a natural-sounding, unstudied virtuosity merely as her starting point, so that the most fearsome technical challenges emerge as thrillingly musical ones, as well. In Argerich's landmark account of the Ravel triptych Gaspard de la Nuit, for example, you're almost tempted to forget what an Everest these pieces represent to the most intrepid virtuoso, so gripping are the poetic conjurings. Unpredictability and magnetic presence define Argerich's style, but not at the price of distortion. There isn't a track of filler on this collection, which displays Argerich's range from the glistening, mirrored surfaces of Ravel's Sonatine to a Rachmaninoff Third pushed to the breaking point and back again (in the legendary live recording with Riccardo Chailly--an essential performance of the work), as well as her extraordinarily immediate, vital Bach. Quick tempos and imaginative finger weightings convey personality without pointing away from the music. And in the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1, Argerich's visceral imagination can actually make the score sound better, richer in substance, than it is. One of the top-drawer collections in the entire Philips series, this set offers a portrait of an artist who will involve you in the passion of music making more deeply than you may have thought possible. --Thomas May
"Argerich is a biological sport, a flat-out stunning miracle. Her Bach on this CD is naked and powerful, the Rachmaninov upstages all other versions, the ferociously witty Prokofiev is all hers. Her Ravel is other-worldly--under her hands the piano surpasses itself in colors and textures. No one else can play legato--or anything else--like she does. Don't miss her recent CD of the Chopin concerti (Dutoit conducting)."
A little brandy, please...
J. Anderson | Monterey, CA USA | 09/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The C Minor Paritita is beautifully played, sometimes I'm not sure who Argerich IS, but in the end, it's beautiful. I recently heard Angela Hewitt's Bach, incidentally, and it's surpassing. The Liszt is revolutionary, however much it really is a concerto one can do without. And this is one of the finest versions of the Prokofiev 3rd around! The third movement gets all of Argerich's natural rhythmic attention, that stupendous, measured propulsion that makes her art so dangerous! There is an earlier Ravel Concerto with Berlin and Abbado, not this one, with a more perceptively drawn second movement- I still have it on cassette! can't seem to find a CD edition of it- better than this one, but this one's easily the best around, without a doubt! Argerich's play with Ravel's ingenious rhythms is natural like walking, or spinning. The Gaspard is the finest recording in this collection, and worth twice the price of it! She's a pianist made for Ravel! I remember playing the Sonatine in college- marvelous piece with a memorable miniature for a second movement; Argerich knows the braveness of Ravel's kingdom, and now so does everybody else. There is nothing in these two discs to disappoint you. I listen to them often, and find I often want a brandy afterward -something to calm, and share the lingering."
From Bach to Rach - stunning value for money
Tsang Shek Yiu | Brisbane, Australia | 05/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fans of Argerich should have already got most of the original recordings in this compilation set. The only question is, is this a representative compilation of Argerich's pianistic art, and can it serve as a good introduction to Argerich for those who are not familiar with her?When you think of it as a compilation set which excludes her chamber works, then it is as close to a "best of" as you can imagine, subject to the constraint of a 2-disc set. Her Rach 3 and Prokofiev 3 are without peer. Her Ravel and Liszt 1 are also among the best available. May be she's not known as a Bach specialist, but her Partita No.2 is music to my ears (don't miss DG's reissue of her all-Bach recording, if you haven't got it).This is not just a 5-star issue. It is a must have. No exaggeration, IT IS A MUST HAVE!"
Welcome to a new world!
wallykai | CAPITAL FEDERAL Argentina | 01/27/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"a few years ago, i was looking at some cd's at the tower records near lincoln center. i was desperately seeking a cd version of martha's ''valses nobles'', which i'd had for years on vinyl. a man came up and saw that i was looking under argerich. his sole comment was, ''oh, that woman gets on my nerves! she can surely wreck a chopin!'' i ran out of the store and into the winter night at once: i knew i was in the presence of a madman!martha argerich's uncanny ability to BECOME what she plays will astound you. you may have heard ravel's music many times in your life, but you will never know how it feels to INHABIT that world called ravel until you have gone through the martha argerich experience. argerich creates an environment out of every piece. we dwell in her execution. much though i'd like to be less metaphoric to help you decide on your purchase, i find that language has never been so inefficient as when i have tried to define the art of martha argerich. no one comes close. do yourself a favor and buy this album now."
Worth travelling a million miles for
wallykai | 04/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Martha Argerich is, simply, one of the most important and influential pianists alive. Love her, or hate her, her stunning virtuosity cannot be ignored.Her Rach 3 is, simply, beyond belief. She takes SO much from the music and conveys it with passion, juxtaposing long flowing phrases with flashings of virtuosity. The finale is a total breath stopper and the ending is met by a hiatus from the stunned audience. The Prokoviev has stood the test of time, and she manages to keep an "edge" to the music from begining to end. The "glissandi" in the final movement make my hair stand on end...this performance NEVER fails to stir me. I have been lucky to hear this concerto live on a number of occasions, but the urgency of the writing has never been as prevalent as Argerich's account. The "Gaspard" too, has stood the test of time. Argerich's performance is the first I heard, and I thought everybody would play it equally well. How wrong. Her touch and shading of nuance in "le Gibet" paints a very vivid picture. And then to the "simplicity" of Bach. I had never heard this piece until I went to her Carnegie recital on 25 Mar. My goodness! Here was Bach distilled to its absolute purity. NEVER have I heard such emotion and control. I fell in love with this partita immediately and promptly bought the CD!In summary, this collection is an absolute MUST... from the delicate Bach to the passions of Chopin and Rachmaninov, via the drive of Prokoviev, this CD has it all.What I'm NOW praying for is that the Carnegie recital, with Bach, Chopin and Prokoviev, (7th Sonata), coupled with the Schumann Quintet, (Juilliard Quartet), and "La Valse", (with Nelson Freira), has been recorded for future release. PLEASE let it be so!"