Martha Argerich, the Elusive, Enigmatic ‘Goddess' of the Piano
The pianist Martha Argerich had just delivered an electrifying performance on a snowy night in northern Switzerland. Fans were lining up backstage for autographs, and friends were bringing roses and chrysanthemums to her dressing room.
But Argerich, who at 83 is still one of the world's most astonishing pianists, with enough finger strength to shatter chestnuts or make a Steinway quiver, was nowhere to be seen. She had slipped out a door to smoke a Gauloises cigarette.
'I want to hide,' she said outside the Stadtcasino concert hall in Basel, Switzerland, shrinking beneath her billowy gray hair. 'For a moment, I don't want to be a pianist. Now, I am someone else.'
As she smoked, Argerich, one of classical music's most elusive and enigmatic artists, obsessed about how she had played the opening flourish of Schumann's piano concerto that evening with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. (Her verdict: 'not so good.') And she became transfixed by the memory of performing the concerto for the first time, as an 11-year-old in Buenos Aires, her hometown.
There, at the Teatro Colón in 1952, a conductor whose name was seared into her memory — Washington Castro — had offered a warning. Never forget, he said: Strange things happen to pianists who play the Schumann concerto.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump canceled his Pride concert, but Michael Feinstein found his spotlight in San Francisco
The Great American Songbook has a unique way of bridging gaps between musicians and listeners from all different backgrounds. Singer, pianist and standards ambassador Michael Feinstein and acclaimed classical soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet serve as a perfect example. As a duo, they've found common ground in this popular repertoire by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin and especially the Gershwin brothers. An enthusiastic audience at Davies Symphony Hall on Tuesday, May 20, discovered just how well these two superstars in their respective genres can mesh. Feinstein and Thibaudet co-headlined a special one-night-only concert with the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of longtime Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, and the performance was by turns entertaining, educational and moving. Feinstein has recently made headlines for decidedly non-celebratory reasons. His Kennedy Center engagement with the National Symphony Orchestra, 'A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,' scheduled for this week, was canceled by the Trump administration. So Tuesday's program was triumphant in contrast, commencing with an energetic orchestral overture before Feinstein and Thibaudet walked onto the stage flashing winning smiles and sporting matching sparkly tuxedo jackets with satin shawl collars. Seated at interlocking Steinway grand pianos, the pair faced one another as they started into a rendition of Berlin's 'I Love a Piano,' featuring Feinstein's impassioned singing. Given Feinstein's impeccable credentials, including as host of the onetime public radio series 'Song Travels,' it seemed safe to assume that he'd do all of the talking. But both musicians spoke with welcoming rapport for a show that felt like a natural extension of their 'Gershwin Rhapsody' album, released last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of 'Rhapsody in Blue.' As founder of the Great American Songbook Foundation, Feinstein shared stories of his musical acquaintances going back decades, from conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein to lyricist Irving Caesar, whose popular song 'Tea for Two' concluded the first set of the evening. Feinstein also spoke about his six years as personal assistant to lyricist Ira Gershwin, older brother and primary songwriting partner of composer George. Thibaudet reflected on his upbringing as a French conservatory student. Sharing an anecdote about George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel, the pianist served as something of an audience surrogate — someone with an appreciation of American Songbook standards if not Feinstein's comprehensive knowledge. In a way, it was not unlike an evening at Feinstein's San Francisco nightclub at Hotel Nikko. But the orchestra, with Lockhart at the helm, really made it an event. Thibaudet performed the third movement from Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F with proper symphonic accompaniment. (He mentioned that he first played the piece at age 14.) And the second-half 'Gershwin Fantasy' was a tour de force, stuffed with favorites like 'Someone to Watch Over Me,' 'I Got Rhythm' and 'Embraceable You' and bookended by the original two-piano arrangement of 'Rhapsody.' An encore of the Gershwins' 'Love Is Here to Stay' ended the program on a poignant note. It was George's last composition, and Ira completed the lyrics posthumously, Feinstein pointed out. He posited that the song is about the brothers' relationship. But when he crooned the opening lines — 'It's very clear / Our love is here to stay / Not for a year / But ever and a day' — it was hard not to think about the power of timeless standards too.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Family travel 5: Museums pair fun, learning to expand horizons
Expand your family's horizons. Here are five places where learning and laughter combine. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis With more than 472,900 feet of exhibit space on five floors and covering 29 acres, this extraordinary nonprofit institution has been entertaining and educating families since 1925. Considered the largest children's museum in the world, kids can learn about the day-to-day duties of astronauts, sample different sports with equipment that's just their size, and get inspired by the powerful stories of other children including Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai. Families are charmed by an historic carousel and inspired by exhibits that explain how plant science can help the world by cleaning up oil spills and cultivating healthy food. As part of this year's 100th birthday celebration, families can enjoy the Centennial Ferris Wheel offering incredible views of the museum campus, the downtown skyline, and surrounding areas. For more: Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix This unique museum enables families to see and experience more than 3000 instruments and artifacts from around the world and to celebrate the joy of music making. Live performances, family-friendly festivals and a wide array of lectures and classes are available. Check out the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine" as well as the instruments of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and George Benson. Wireless head-sets allow guests to see and hear exhibits throughout the museum. Kids will enjoy the Experience Gallery where they can touch, play and hear instruments from far-away cultures. Check out the extensive and diverse concert schedule. For more: Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Encouraging curiosity, innovation and celebrating questions, this is the place to see a German submarine, understand how tornados and avalanches happen and explore the structure of the eye in a hands-on lab environment. Discover the mathematical patterns that surround us every day in the natural world - from the delicate nested spirals of a sunflower's seeds to the ridges of a majestic mountain range in a compelling exhibit called "Numbers in Nature." Then make your way to the Whispering Gallery to understand how sound travels in different environments. A theater and hands-on exhibits further enhance the experience. For more: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, Calif. Founded in 1984, this world-renowned organization's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's oceans. Through a variety of interactive activities and exhibits designed for young children and families, your crew will learn about the delicate balance that exists in our seas today. The youngest visitors will be drawn to the 40-foot-long touch pool for an up-close look at curious creatures like sea stars, urchins, kelp crabs and abalones. They'll enjoy the playful antics of southern sea otters, learn about the world of mud flats and marshes, and observe a master of disguise, the Giant Pacific Octopus. For more: The Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, N.Y. Play is good for humans of all ages and helps kids develop tools for self-expression and problem-solving. You'll learn about favorite pastimes in a permanent exhibit that explores 300 years of history. View rare board games, see the world's largest erector set, challenge your crew to a game of toy trivia and test your memories in the concentration game within a 100,000-square-foot fun zone. Marvel at the butterfly garden. Play hopscotch, chess and checkers on Sesame Street, ride a carousel, hop aboard a train and check out the on-site National Toy Museum. For more: ________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
New York Times
22-04-2025
- New York Times
The Frick Needs a New Piano. Which Would You Choose?
On a recent morning, the pianist Jeremy Denk got an early look at the renovated Frick Collection. Not the art: He took an elevator straight down to the museum's new auditorium where, on entering, he held a hand to his chin and surveyed the three Steinway pianos lined up across the stage like pageant queens. He walked to an ornate and glossy rosewood grand from 1882, and warmed up with some music by Bach before jumping around, to Beethoven's Op. 111 sonata and other hits of the piano repertoire. Denk asked if anyone in the room had a request. He was, he said, 'happy to be a jukebox.' But he was also there with a serious task. The Frick's old Music Room, a haven for chamber performances, rented its piano, said Jeremy Ney, the museum's new head of music and performance. So Annabelle Selldorf's renovation and expansion of the Frick, which includes a 220-seat auditorium that sounds like a world-class concert hall and looks like the inside of a flower, was an opportunity to purchase a new instrument. The question was, what kind? With a team that included Raj Patel, the acoustician who worked on the auditorium, Ney assembled a trio of pianos to choose from, all Model D Steinways but with distinct sounds based on when they were made and where: the 1882 one, nicknamed Palisandra; another, from 1965, called Volodya; and a 2017 concert grand made in Hamburg, Germany. Over the past several weeks, a handful of pianists passed through to sample them and offer their thoughts ahead of the hall's opening festival, April 26 through May 11. Denk was one, spending a couple of hours to play each instrument and suggest which the Frick should buy. He skipped around musical eras, playing excerpts from 'pieces that require color,' he said, 'pieces that feature lyricism, pieces where you need clarity and speed.' In picking which piano to recommend, Denk said, he was 'looking for something that you can make friends with without too much negotiation.' Soloists passing through on tour will want an instrument that they can adapt to quickly, and that suits a varied repertoire. Ideally, one of the Frick's contenders will meet those criteria. Meet them below, and listen to each one's sound. Palisandra This Steinway concert grand piano is a Centennial D, originally made for an exposition in Philadelphia to celebrate 100 years of American independence. Today it belongs to Peter and Cathy Halstead, the founders of Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana. Like a modern Model D, it is nearly 9 feet long. Befitting its era, though, it looks comparatively Baroque. Denk was quick to appreciate the Palisandra. 'It's eloquent,' he said, and its warmth persisted through the briskly repeating chords of Beethoven's 'Waldstein' Sonata, the flowing textures of Ravel's 'Ondine' and, surprisingly, even some Shostakovich written for more modern pianos. But, Denk said, 'this piano is unusual enough that it could be a problem.' It has a somewhat heavy action, meaning that it requires more than the usual force to press a key. That isn't necessarily a deal breaker. Players would just need time to adjust to it. Volodya During Denk's visit, the Volodya, a modern concert grand built in 1965, with a matte black finish, was effectively two instruments in one. The piano tuner Tali Mahanor, who lent it to the Frick for consideration after refurbishing it, outfitted it with a second action, or keyboard mechanism, that could be replaced like a cassette tape. It can be difficult to judge a hall's acoustics without an audience. Bodies absorb sound, so when a room is empty, a piano can seem deceptively bright. The Volodya was very bright. 'It's really hard to control,' Denk said as he played some of the same music he had played on the Palisandra. He worried about chamber music. 'If you were playing with the lid up,' he said, 'the violinist would not be heard.' Then Mahanor put in the second action, which was more balanced but still unwieldy, especially if Denk tried to add textures with the instrument's pedals. 'I'm just keeping my feet as far from the pedal as humanly possible,' Denk said while playing Ravel's 'Gaspard de la Nuit.' He repeatedly asked others in the hall whether the sound was clear enough because he found it difficult to 'poke through the reverb.' Modern Hamburg Steinways are made in New York and Hamburg. The pianos from each city have signature sounds, and slightly different appearances. (The giveaway is the side arms at the ends of the keyboard: New York's are more severe, Hamburg's are rounded.) This final piano is German, and, with its glossy finish, looks like a typical concert grand today. After playing more Beethoven, as well as the opening melody of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano concerto, Denk observed that the Hamburg had 'a nice singing tone.' It was clear and balanced through some Ligeti, too. Again, Denk worried that the piano might be too loud, but he admitted it was hard to tell from where he was sitting. Out in the auditorium, Ney and Patel assured him it sounded good. Still, Denk suggested pulling the piano away from the wall, which helped. 'It may be,' he said, 'that the distance from the wall is more meaningful here inch by inch.' With that, it was time for Denk to recommend a piano. Which would you pick, and which do you think the Frick chose based on his suggestion? Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
