Schumann Piano Concerto & Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 32 / Arrau

Starring:Schumann, Solomon, Arrau
Studio: Angel Records
Product Type: DVD

A Piano Evening with Martha Argerich [DVD Video]

Average customer rating:

Let's be honest
Another Outstanding Argerich Performance
Why she is the greatest of the age, and perhaps of all time...

A Piano Evening with Martha Argerich [DVD Video]

Manufacturer: Tdk DVD Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Schumann & Martha Argerich
Barenboim on Beethoven - The Complete Piano Sonatas Live from Berlin
Kissin in Tokyo - Yevgeny Kissin
Volodos Plays Liszt
Haydn: Piano Works [DVD Video]

ASIN: B000NOIWV2
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Let's be honest.......2007-05-24

I'll get right to the point. The orchestra is so atrocious as to make this DVD almost unlistenable. If you want to see a performance of the Schumann sonata, perhaps this is for you. But be warned. If you can get through the Triple Concerto without cringing, you are a better man than I. The Prokofiev? A student work by a second-rate composer, performed by a third-rate orchestra. Gee, does it get any better than that? Even the redoubtable Argerich can't rescue this disaster.

Another Outstanding Argerich Performance.......2007-05-22

While I agree with the previous reviewer (M.G.) that this is a marvelous DVD, I had some trouble getting past all his hagiographic gushing about Martha Argerich, larded as it is with superlatives. Admittedly she is an amazingly talented pianist, certainly among the greatest of our age, but his claims for her abilities -- 'perhaps (the greatest) of all time' -- seems over the top. Has he ever heard Liszt, Alkan, Thalberg, Busoni, or Godowsky, or whoever play? One notices also that in his review he doesn't mention either the conductor, Argerich's long-time collaborator both as conductor and duo-pianist, Alexandre Rabinovitch (or Rabinovitch-Barakovsky as he's called here), or the young and enthusiastic Flanders Sympnony Orchestra. He is so focused on Argerich that he doesn't mention the one piece not involving the piano, the concert's opening work, the invigorating Classical Symphony of Prokofiev. Nor does he mention that this is an outdoor concert, although it must be said that from an audio point of view, one would never have known it; the audio is just fine, as is the camera work.

But he is right in saying this is clearly Argerich's show. Following the Prokofiev symphony is his all-too-rarely-played First Piano Concerto in D Flat which, when I hear it, always makes me feel all's right with the world. That long vaulting first melody in the first movement is a creation of genius. Argerich plays the whole thing with panache and grace as well as surpassing virtuosity.

And since this is a 'Piano Night with Martha Argerich' the pattern of most orchestral concerts is broken by the appearance next on the bill of Schumann's First Violin Sonata with Renaud Capuçon and Argerich. Schumann wrote reams of chamber music and most of it gets played a lot, but one rarely hears the violin sonatas for some reason. It's certainly not because the First Sonata is a weak work; indeed, it is a quintessentially Romantic piece which, if one allows it, can sweep one away in a storm of emotion. I particularly liked Capuçon's tender approach to the delectable middle movement and his scampering lightness in the finale. Capuçon is a rising violinist star in the international music world and his playing here makes it clear why. But he is as much as anything else a chamber music player, often with his equally talented brother Gautier, a cellist. So this is not a virtuoso violinist star turn, but a truly collaborative effort and it is not surprising that Argerich is no shrinking violet as an accompanist; this is as it should be. Indeed, the piano is an equal partner to the violin in this sonata.

The concert concludes with Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Argerich, Capuçon and the latter's brother, Gautier, cello. It is often said that the triple concerto has an 'easy' piano part, especially when it is compared with the violin and cello parts. I've never quite understood this notion, as there are some pianistic fireworks that only very good pianists can bring off. Further, the pianist provides much of musical glue for the work just as the piano often does in piano trios. This is fairly typical mid-period Beethoven (1804) coming as it did just before the Fourth Piano Concerto. The performance here is exalted. The frères Capuçon are marvelously matched tonally and musically and Argerich is clearly of one mind with them; her experience as a chamber music player is, of course, well known and that comes in particularly helpful here. The orchestra, for all its enthusiasm, is perhaps a notch or two below world-class. This didn't bother me particularly but it does bear mentioning. Rabinovitch conducts with sensitivity and a freedom of pulse that allows the soloists to breathe.

One notes that Argerich plays from score in the Triple Concerto and I say huzzah to that. I've never quite understood while soloists must play from memory. But a discussion of that is, I suppose, for another day.

A hearty recommendation, and especially for Argerich's legion of fans.

Scott Morrison

Why she is the greatest of the age, and perhaps of all time..........2007-05-04

This is a remarkable DVD, featuring Martha Argerich--arguably the greatest pianist of all time--and two rising musical names: Renaud Capucon, violin, and Gautier Capucon, cello. While the brothers Capucon deliver beautiful and nuanced playing, this is really Argerich's show (as usual). I am constantly amazed at how she manages to elevate the playing of those around her to new heights. She simply has such technical and musical command of her instrument which is really unlike any other pianist, even to the point of paling brilliant contemporary virtuosos like Pollini and Zimerman and past masters like Arrau, Michelangeli, and Richter. Her performances on this DVD exhibit simply jaw-dropping virtuosity (inhuman, really) and incredibly nuanced music-making, intuitive to the core but always fully realized. Watching her hands and arms work, you can't help but think this woman was born to play the piano; and listening to her music making, you realize you are witnessing a truly legendary musician. Her technique is so transcendental that she simply can do anything she likes at the piano, eliciting a million different musical colors and shades, and such rhythmic drive and intensity as to phrase a musical line in infinitely different ways.

The program includes Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Argerich as soloist, Schumann's Sonata for Piano and Violin in a minor with Renaud Capucon and Argerich, and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with all three performers. I want to stress how amazing the camera work is in this DVD: you get shots of the keyboard and Argerich's hands and arms as if you were standing right next to her turning the pages, really giving you an inside look into a staggering technical mechanism. You also get a variety of different shots around the outdoor auditorium, from an audience perspective and orchestral position.

First, the Prokofiev: as you might expect, this performance begins with all-out pyrotechnics, with Argerich tossing off arm-blurring octaves and chords, thirds and sixths, as if she were having her morning coffee. Her scales--in both hands--are tossed-off at light speed and shimmer with a thousand different tones. She really plays this piece as a true chamber musician, always paying strict attention to the orchestral part and solos from the winds and brass. She also looks like she's having the time of her life, smiling before launching into another mind-numbing display of virtuosity. The middle movement is beautifully executed with slow and mysterious phrasing, shades of texture, and remarkable syncopation. The final movement really illustrates Argerich's rhythmic drive, as she simply explodes into one phrase after the next. The camera work is really amazing in this piece (and throughout), showing the rippling scales and propulsive octaves that bring this piece to a triumphant close.

The Schumann sonata introduces Renaud Capucon, who really seems to be a promising violinist. Here Argerich assumes her chamber music role, with such sensitive and musical--yet free-- playing that it seems she's improvising the sonata here on the spot. Capucon really seems on top of this piece, and the two of them seem like they have been playing chamber music for life. The first movement is played in a sweeping, probing, Romantic style (as is appropriate), with a gorgeous second movement that probes meditatively. The final movement is taken at a great clip, with really fleeting passage work by both artists. Argerich's playing again looks completely effortless, but full of musical coloring and rhythmic articulation.

The final piece of the program is the Beethoven Triple concerto, played by Renaud Capucon and Gautier Capucon--violin and cello, respectively--and Argerich on piano. This is a really grand and noble interpretation of this piece. I've always thought that--somewhat paradoxically--Beethoven and Mozart reveal more of Argerich's inhuman technique than the big Romantics and early twentieth-century composers. Scales in her left and right hands just fly away in dazzling arrays; arpeggios fly with mind blowing clarity and scale; and trills, double and in thirds, are tossed with brilliant ease. Here, Argerich can do whatever she wants and with such spontaneity that it's like listening to this work for the first time. This is not to say that her interpretation is somehow not in the Classical style--to the contrary, it is how Beethoven and Mozart would have dreamed to hear it played. All three musicians really deserve credit for a beautiful performance, as they all three are in tune with chamber-music-like exchanges of passages. The orchestra does an admirable job, as well.

In short, anyone who loves great music making, great chamber music playing, and especially the piano should buy this DVD. I've followed Argerich's career and performances for many years now, and each time I am astounded with what I'm witnessing. She really is in a league by herself, and this DVD is yet another documentation--perhaps the best commercially available recording--of her artistic genius. This DVD really makes you agree that calling Argerich the greatest living pianist--and the greatest of all time--is not mere hyperbole; that Mstislav Rostropovich's characterization of her as "A pianist with no limits at all: none whatsoever" is entirely apt; and that surely her only rivals--though from her recordings of both this is even questionable-- could possibly be Liszt and Chopin themselves, for she is more than a great technician: she is an artist, creator, and musician of the highest possible caliber. She redefines the art of piano playing, taking it to a new plane of music-making and virtuosity. You simply must buy this DVD and prepare to be astounded.

Martha Argerich Plays Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor / Liszt Funerailles / Ravel Jeux d'Eau

Average customer rating:

Stunning Pianism
A unique, must-have item for any Martha Argerich fan
One of the Best Martha Argerich Performances
ou la technique est indigente
Terrible sound quality

Martha Argerich Plays Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor / Liszt Funerailles / Ravel Jeux d'Eau
Starring: Martha Argerich
Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Martha Argerich and Friends
Beethoven, Mozart & Brahms Piano Concertos
Horowitz in Moscow
Schumann & Martha Argerich
F. Chopin - 24 Etudes for Piano Op.10 , Op 25

ASIN: B00005R5G7
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Amazon.com

There is not much video documentation of the great pianist Martha Argerich in her prime, so it is fortunate that this program, taped for Canadian television in 1977, gives a three-dimensional view of her various strengths. Ravel's Jeux d'Eau, which translates a fountain's flow and glitter into piano music, exemplifies the quality that most people notice first in her playing: dexterity and precision at breathtaking speeds. But there is also a fine awareness of the music's descriptive power. Liszt's moody Les Funerailles, in contrast, requires the ability to hold the music together as a coherent structure at very slow speeds, evoking a carefully defined atmosphere. This, too, she does splendidly.

But the heart of the program is Schumann's Concerto in A Minor, one of the 19th century's greatest works in that form, rich in virtuoso display and heart-on-sleeve emotion and requiring fine rapport between soloist and orchestra. This disc fulfills all the music's potentials. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Stunning Pianism.......2005-10-14

The audio quality of this DVD, while not the best, is adequate, and is more than compensated by the rare opportunity of witnessing Argerich on the keyboard when she was young (this is a performance from the 1970s). Schumann's Piano Concerto is a standard piece in the repertory, and Argerich's rendition is sumptuous and satisfying. For me, however, the two solo pieces are the truly revelation.

The camera person gets an A for capturing the chameleonic changes of Argerich's hands on the keyboard. She makes it look so easy! Piano students everywhere should watch the way she effortlessly plows through the Ravel and Liszt. There is no tension anywhere in the playing apparatus--the suppleness of her wrist movements, the ease with which she uses her arms. Look at the way she effortlessly negotiates the two hands crowding in the same register in Jeux d'Eau. Spellbinding!

A unique, must-have item for any Martha Argerich fan.......2003-10-16

Yes, this DVD is just a copy of the original video. No, it's not in Dolby 5.1. Yes, there is some hiss and the sound quality is about right for 1977. No, it hasn't been "cleaned up" or restored (as far as I can tell) and no, there aren't any of the "extras" that we have all become accustomed to on DVD.

Five minutes into watching this, you won't care.

There are musicians. Then there are great musicians. And every so often in human history, someone comes along who seems to have a line into the mystery and majesty of the universe as expressed through music. Martha Argerich has (many) moments in this performance where she seems to be animated by the conductor of heaven's own choir, where it seems as if she has ceased to exist as a human being, and is simply a direct conduit for the divine.

Any fan of great classical music will enjoy this DVD. One kind of fan in particular, however, will find it compelling to the point of near-hypnosis. If you have spent twenty or thirty years battling with the piano, struggling with your own limits as a pianist, trying to come to grips with the subtlety of Schumann, the intricacy of Bach or the majesty of Beethoven, this DVD will both inspire you, and drive you to despair.

The average pianist is like someone who, over decades, has constructed a home-built airplane. They sit down at the keyboard, spin the propeller, and the whole contraption lurches into the air and moves about the sky with more or less grace depending on what kind of day the pianist is having. The return to earth is always something of a relief, and if the little plane is still in one piece, the pianist counts the flight a success.

Now imagine the little plane has been tucked away in the hangar, and the pilot is walking home in the last rays of evening twilight. A motion catches his eye, and he stops to watch the woodland birds flying in, out, above and below the trees. They dart, flit and zoom in the still evening air, landing on branches or missing them by a hairsbreadth, chasing and catching bugs in mid-air, turning and diving and folding and spreading their wings so quickly the mind almost can't follow them. Theirs is a mastery of flight beyond all effort, beyond all conscious thought, into a place where movement and motion become one with the divine perfection that continually eludes (almost) all of us all our lives.

Martha Argerich is one of those woodland birds; if you want to see her fly, this DVD is a perfect place to start.

One of the Best Martha Argerich Performances.......2003-07-13

I have just watched the same Schumann Concerto conducted by Bernstein with Vienna Philharmonic and the pianist was impressing. The pianist's name spells Justus Frantz who played with so with so much grace. But his name doesn't ring a bell! I ran a search and discovered that he had only recorded some four hands piano pieces with Eschenbach.

And then only a couple of days later I go back to Martha's Schumann Concerto. The Canadian orchestra was no match for Berlin Philharmonic. Even the recording is inferior. But here you see every justification of Arrau's assessment on Martha Argerich that she is one of the two younger pianists, along with Barenboim, that he had ear for.

She is dramatic and she builds up tension from an almost stoic start to a most powerful climax and by a variety of colours. She was even more expressive than Justus Frantz. Her Lizst has the same effect, the same contrast, and the same tension which is rather exciting. I even like her Liszt better than her Schumann.

Yes, we have some ( a little only ) close-ups if the pianist but they provide good clues to what sort of mood or what sort of picture she was going to paint. It was not excessive by whatever standard, neither were her bodiy movements.

All along, particularly the last two pieces, we have a lot of her hands. Again, it's very unique. Martha was wearing short sleeves we can see the whole of her hands. First, she has rather stiff wrists as opposed to what Arrau (or even Leschetisky) professed. Sometimes, for better effects, she would play with the fleshy part of her fingers with her hand(s) flat; for a particular effect, she would bend her wrist sideways so much; and for a fifth finger fortissimo, she would use the outside of her small finger instead of the finger tip!

With her Jeux d'eau, while my memory of Richter's playing is still vivid, I must say Martha's colour and her delicate touch were almost as good as Richter.

I am not a great fan of Martha, as she is not always consistent and her style doesn't cover a great deal of the whole piano repertoire. Despite it's shortness (only 47 min. ) and that it's not of the best 1977 production quality, in view of the scarcity of her footage and in view of her wonderful performance here and the excellent depiction of her hands, it deserves a 5 stars.

ou la technique est indigente.......2003-03-06

tres belle prestation de Martha Argerich malheureusement gachée par une technique de prises de vue indigente et surtout une prise de son de médiocre qualité que ne sauraient excuser une prise télévisuelle pour une émission en direct de Radio Canada, ni mëme la date de production 1977. Mieux vaut écouter son enregistrement sur CD avec Harnoncourt, en fermant les yeux : le film n'en sera que meilleur!

Terrible sound quality.......2002-08-21

I've got the DVD and the sound quality is almost intolerable. I expected some hiss but this is nasty.

Customer Reviews:

The Maestro.......2004-04-02

This DVD is the ultimate testament to Arrau's contribution to music. And for one reason only - the c minor Beethoven sonata. His extraordinary interpretation of this work captures the very heart and soul of Beethoven's contribution to the keyboard. I also have the Art of Piano, which unfortunately captures only a small fragment of the final movement of this sonata, albeit it saved the best for last. Thankfully, this DVD captured it in its entirety.
His Schumann performances are also wonderful. But again, for me, it saved the best for last.

A Most Inspiring Piano DVD Because of Complete Performances!.......2003-08-22

I've purchased almost every piano DVD/video currently available on the market featuring pianists. What makes this DVD outstanding -- first among few equals -- is that TWO outstanding pianists are featured who perform complete "classical" repertoire. Too many piano DVDs/Videos provide only snippets of performances, e.g. The Art of the Piano (which is also flawed by featuring mediocre to above average pianists as commentators --even Kissin is merely above average, since he plays with a terrible "claw hand" that limits his technique and musicality, and he's much too young and undeveloped as a pianist, despite his appearance in the "Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century" CD collection, which incidentally omitted pianists superior to Kissin, like Emmanuel Ax; is Sandor even a "good" pianist???). In this Claudio Arrau DVD, you have Arrau and Solomon featuring two completely different styles of pianism: Arrau's elevated Germanic pianism and Solomon's fluid classically romantic style (ala' the Russian virtuosos). I must admit that Arrau is sometimes inconsistent. He can be tremendously passionate and gifted as in his 80th birthday recital video, or outright boring. In this DVD, he's outstandingly wonderful. It's well worth the cash, and I was pleasantly overjoyed to see Solomon play the entire Appassionata. God, was Solomon a super plus pianist! What an effortless style and incredible technique. His left hand was fantastic! Such caressing of keys...such flowing hands! Where has all the wonderful footage of complete piano performances gone? Why do we music lovers (and music companies!!!) allow all this wonderful footage to waste in some unknown record or film company vaults? What we need are more DVDs/Videos featuring complete performances of the great pianists! There is a new genius pianist called Arcadi Volodos who MUST come out with a DVD! He's simply the greatest living pianist today in the league of the truly superlative greats: for example, Josef Hofman and Solomon. Please keep me in touch of available DVDs/Videos by writing a review of this same DVD featuring Arrau and Solomon!

I Know I'll Go Back To It Often.......2003-07-06

How come we have such a repertoire? Why these pieces and why in such an order? And why together with Solomon? The availability of the films is of course a major consideration. But then why in such an order?

The quality of these films has a lot to do with such an order. The first one is the best, both in sound and in vision. The collaboration with the orchestra was wonderful, in rhythm and in musical effects, everything. With Arrau, it is a standard thing. His power to unify large scale structures and to cumulate paces for dramatic effects are amazing, and these are all on top of a most beautiful tone and perfect phrasing. Depiction of his hands comes only occasionally. What we have is somewhat like what you see when you attend a concert. But his interpretation is the very best one could ever hope for--as perfect as perfection itself. Like very old and pure cogniac, it's always contained within an old bottle.

The sound and visual qualities of the second piece is not so good as the first one. The speed of filming was not fast enough and when the tempo is fast, the vision of his hands, particularly his fingers is blurred and the higher notes are slightly distorted. But as far as music and interpretation is concerned, like the first piece, they are very instructive indeed. Here we have the subtleties of rhythmic flexibility and tone colouring of the highest degree.

The weakest in sound and vision but not music, is the third piece. One wouldn't suppose it could stand alone as a commercial recording. But as a historical recording, it's more than acceptable.

Then comes Solomon in the form of a bonus. We are told that this is the only video of Solomon. The quality of this footage is poor and that explains why it comes as a bonus. It's something like the earliest B/W photos we have but in the form of video. But the music is a different matter altogether. For those who have heard of Solomon's myth should lend his ear to this piece-- it is more impressing than any piece in his Philips Great Pianist of the Century. The delicacy and nuances of his tone coming in torrents and his power of contrasts is quite stunning. I wouldn't use the word "simplicity" to describe Solomon, nor the the word "ease" but his command is absolute. His playing is more attuned to modern taste. I have actually compared the same piece played by Arrau in his 80th Birthday recital. The latter's deeper where even contrasts are unified, the thunderings serve only as shadings and even then they are always in perfect balance with the melodic lines...

Both pisnists were about 50 year of age when these pieces were filmed, both in their very prime. Arraus's Waldstein is inwardly shocking even when played as late as his 80th Birthday. So needless to say, these are all wonderful stuff here. He certainly reminds us of De Greef and of Edwin Fischer. And it's difficult to think of what else to expect, as everything is so perfect by itself. With him passing away, the golden age of pianists shall we say, has come to an end.

The Master at work.......2003-05-06

There is absolutely no one, in my opinion (and I believe there will be countless others who will agree), who plays the Op. 111 better than Arrau. He truly has a complete understanding of this work.

The Schumann performances were a special treat. To see Arrau earlier in life and perform gave me a view of what Arrau was like before I actually saw him live.

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