Argerich à la japonaise

Many classical music connoisseurs know that Japan is a treasure-trove for extremely-hard-to-find recordings of great artists. With Argerich it is no exception, as the Japanese simply adore her, and can't get enough of her. Her recordings from her main labels (DG, Philips and EMI) are often remastered, repackaged and released in various formats.

Concerts December 2011

The month of December is a particularly Verbier-related affair. Martha Argerich goes on a tour of Europe with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and its Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy, reprising their very successful collaboration in at the Verbier Festival in 2010, performing the first piano concerto of Dmitri Shostakovich

Concerts November 2011

After a summer's break, Martha Argerich (as well as this blog!) resumes activity for the 2011-2012 season.

She starts her season with 3 subscription performances at the Semperoper in Dresden. Performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1, Argerich will be partnered by the Staatskapelle Dresden under the direction of Charles Dutoit.

UPDATE: Yuja Wang will replace Argerich for the Dresden concerts.

Verbier Cancellation... or not!

According to the Verbier Festival, Martha Argerich has decided to withdraw from the concert on July 26. Her chamber music concert on July 22 will however go ahead as planned.


Well, she actually decided to play in the concert after all! Argerich performed a couple of Kreisler pieces with Ivry Gitlis and Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations with Evgeny Kissin. That really was a surprise!

You can see the concert online for free until 30 October 2011.

Happy Birthday Martha!

Feliz Cumpleaños Martha! It's hard to believe that she was born 70 years ago. Before many of us were born (including myself), Argerich created magic on stage and on record, enriching the lives and souls of many music lovers. And I am sure I am not the only one wishing that there will be many more years of her unique artistry to come.

Progetto Martha Argerich 2011

As every year, the picturesque Swiss city of Lugano hosts the Progetto Martha Argerich with its eclectic programme, along with the interesting mix of the master artists with the promising artists of the future.

This year sees Argerich perform in nine concerts, and as has been seen in the last editions of the Progetto, she will play works new in her repertoire for the first time in Lugano (Julius Zarebski's rarely-heard piano quintet and Mozart's sonata for piano 4 hands, KV 497)

Concerts June 2011

UPDATE: SCHUMANN CONCERTO CANCELLED DUE TO INDISPOSITION OF ARGERICH. NIKOLAI LUGANSKY WILL REPLACE HER WITH BEETHOVEN 4TH PIANO CONCERTO
 
Argerich returns to London for a performance of Schumann's piano concerto on June 7, two days after her birthday. She will be partnered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Charles Dutoit.

June 7, 2011
7.30pm
Schumann: Piano Concerto, op. 54
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Dutoit
Royal Festival Hall, London, England

Benefit Concert in Berlin

At the end of May, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker will join forces with cellists Mischa Maisky, Jing Zhao, pianist Itamar Golan and Martha Argerich to play two benefit concerts for the FTV Junior Orchestra of Japan.

Itamar Golan and Argerich will perform four-hand piano works by Mozart and Schubert, and  Guy Braunstein and Daishin Kashimoto, two of the four concertmasters of the Berlin Philharmonic, along with the orchestra's new principal violist Amihai Grosz, will play works by Shostakovich, Dvorak and Schumann.  

Concerts July/August 2011

Salle des Combins, Verbier

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Royal Albert Hall, London

Konzerthaus, Dortmund

July and August sees Argerich in four European countries; Germany, England, Switzerland and Scotland. First up is a concert at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr on 14 July, where she will perform with Lilya Zilberstein. Then she will jet off to Verbier for a concert on July 22. And in August she will perform with Nelson Goerner at the Edinburgh Festival.

Upcoming 70th birthday CD releases

In celebration of Martha Argerich's 70th birthday, EMI and Universal Music are planning a few new releases later in May.

From EMI Classics there will be a 3-box collection entitled 'Martha Argerich Edition', comprising of all her recordings for EMI (without the Lugano recordings) in solo and piano duo works, concertos and chamber music, as well as a 3-CD compilation called 'The Sound of Martha Argerich'.

Concert for Japan in Paris

Argerich will perform in a benefit concert for the victims of the recent natural disaster in Japan at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. Other performers who have donated their services include Khatia Buniatishvili, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Natalie Dessay, Nelson Freire, Itamar Golan, Sylvie Guillem, Sayaka Shoji, Rolando Villazón and Lambert Wilson.

For more info, please click here

Los Angeles Concerts Cancelled

I'm sad to report that our friends in America are not having much luck with Argerich this year. After the cancellation of her concert at Carnegie Hall with Seiji Ozawa, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has now announced cancellation of her concerts with Gustavo Dudamel this month. She will be replaced by Jeremy Denk (a wonderful pianist and chamber musician in his own right). According to the orchestra's announcement, the cancellation is due to back problems.

Argerich in Verbier

The official programme for this year's Verbier Festival was been unveiled this morning! In what promises to be an even more eclectic season than in previous editions, Argerich performs two concerts in July.

On 22 July, she teams up with regular partners Yuri Bashmet, the Capuçon bros and Nelson Goerner for an evening of chamber music by Schumann, Rachmaninov and Ravel. And on 26 July she will perform in a concert entitled 'Verbier Festival Celebrates', in which some of the works to be performed have now been announced. A star-studded lineup of artists, including Evgeny Kissin, Joshua Bell, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Ivry Gitlis, Vadim Repin, Thomas Quasthoff and Mischa Maisky, will perform chamber music works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Kreisler, Schumann among others. The complete programme for the concert will be nearer to the start of the festival, and will no doubt contain a few surprises!

Breaking news: Ozawa concerts cancelled!

The forthcoming concerts of Seiji Ozawa and his Ongaku-Juku Orchestra of Japan have been cancelled, following surgery for a back condition that was more extensive than previously thought. Ozawa has cancelled all concerts until August this year, which means the Argerich appearances in America and Europe are also no longer taking place.
We wish Maestro Ozawa a speedy recovery!

Upcoming EMI CD release: Live from Lugano 2010

In March EMI will release highlights from the 2010 edition of Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano. Although it hasn't been released yet, I've managed to find out more about it and here's a sneak peek into the set.

Klavierfestival Ruhr 2010 Arte Broadcast

© KFR/Mark Wohlrab

The French-German arts channel Arte will broadcast part of last year's Klavierfestival Ruhr concert in which Argerich performed Schumann with friends including cellist Mischa Maisky. It will be broadcast at 7pm on 30 January featuring the works she performed with Maisky; Adagio and Allegro, op. 70, and the Piano Quintet, op. 44. 

Click here for more information (in French) or here (in German)

Renaud Capuçon, Gabrielle Shek, Lyda Chen, Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky

Concerts April 2011

Following their Carnegie Hall appearance, the Ongaku-Juku Orchestra of Seiji Ozawa will make two appearances in Europe in April with the same forces. Argerich returns to the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, and then it's off to Vienna's Golden Hall at the Musikverein. The programme remains identical to the New York performance.

Concerts USA 2011

Spring 2011 will see Argerich perform in America. She will play the Beethoven 1st concerto in Los Angeles, and in New York in April, where she will renew a musical partnership with an old friend (also with the Beethoven 1). Perenially Beatle-haired Seiji Ozawa is a valued partner, but one she hasn't performed with in a while. The orchestra of Ozawa's music academy in Japan will play with the Grande Dame. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST POST WITH NEWS OF CANCELLATION.

March 17, 2011 

8pm

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, op. 15 

Martha Argerich, piano · LA Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA 

March 18, 2011

8pm

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, op. 15 

Martha Argerich, piano · LA Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA

March 19, 2011

8pm

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, op. 15 

Martha Argerich, piano · LA Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA

March 20, 2011

8pm

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, op. 15 

Martha Argerich, piano · LA Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA 
CANCELLED DUE TO INDISPOSITION OF ARGERICH

Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-Juku at Carnegie Hall

April 2, 2011

8pm

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, op. 15 

Martha Argerich, piano · Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra Japan/Seiji Ozawa
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA
CANCELLED DUE TO INDISPOSITION OF SEIJI OZAWA

Concerts January 2011 (to March 1)

Happy new year! Sorry I've been a bit quiet, but there has not been much information regarding Argerich's concert activity coming in lately, but here's some information for concerts in February.

There are two last-minute additions to the calendar in January, including her first ever performances in Istanbul. This will no doubt be a highlight to Argerich's fans in Turkey!