Martha Argerich

Martha Argerich
Argerich in 2015
Argerich in 2015
Background information
Born (1941-06-05) 5 June 1941 (age 84)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
GenresClassical
OccupationMusician
InstrumentPiano
Labels
Spouses
  • Robert Chen
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1964; div. 1964)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1969; div. 1973)​
CitizenshipArgentina
Switzerland

Martha Argerich (Argentinian Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾta aɾxeˈɾitʃ]; Eastern Catalan: [əɾʒəˈɾik]; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Argerich is noted especially for her interpretations of the works by composers such as Chopin, Ravel, Liszt, Prokofiev, and Schumann,[1] and is generally regarded as one of the greatest living pianists.[2]

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At sixteen, she won both the Geneva International Music Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition, and her international career was launched after winning the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1965. Since the 1980s, she has prioritized collaborative performance, appearing frequently with artists including Nelson Freire, Mischa Maisky, and Gidon Kremer.

Early life and education

Argerich in 1962

Argerich was born in Buenos Aires.[3] Her paternal ancestors were from Catalonia, based in Buenos Aires since the 18th century. Her maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, who settled in Colonia Villa Clara in Argentina's Entre Ríos Province, one of the colonies established by Baron de Hirsch and the Jewish Colonization Association.[4][5] The provenance of the name Argerich is Catalonia.[6]

Argerich began kindergarten around three years old, where she was the youngest child. A five-year-old boy, who was a friend, teased her that she would not be able to play the piano, and Argerich responded by playing a piece perfectly by ear. Around the same time, started learning the piano at the age of three.[7] At the age of five, she began to study under Vincenzo Scaramuzza, who emphasized lyricism and feeling.

Argerich performed in her first concert in 1949 at the age of eight. Six years later, her family moved to Europe. There, Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Austria, whom she described as one of her major influences. She later studied with Stefan Askenase and Maria Curcio.[8]

Argerich also studied under Madeleine Lipatti (widow of Dinu Lipatti), Abbey Simon, and Nikita Magaloff.[9] In 1957, at sixteen, she won both the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition and the Geneva International Music Competition.[10][n 1]

Following this success, Argerich had a personal and artistic crisis. After an attempt to study with the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, who gave her only four lessons in the space of 18 months, she went to New York City with the intention of studying under Vladimir Horowitz.[12] For three years, Argerich stopped playing piano and considered pursuing a career as a secretary or doctor.[13] She credited Anny Askenase, the wife of Stefan Askenase, with encouraging her to return to the piano.[7]

Professional career

External audio
audio icon Martha Argerich performing Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826 Here on archive.org

Argerich’s performing career began in Argentina. In 1949, Argerich gave her first concerto performance at the age of eight at the Auditorio Radio El Mundo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 the following year, under the direction of Scaramuzza; both concerts were broadcast on the National Radio of Argentina. Argerich gave additional concerts as part of a radio concert series for soloists and appeared in a series, featuring Beethoven’s piano sonatas.

In 1952, she made her debut at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic under the direction of Washington Castro. At eleven years old, Argerich toured the country twice.[14][15]

In 1960, Argerich had made her first commercial recording, which included works by Chopin, Brahms, Ravel, Prokofiev, and Liszt; it received critical acclaim upon its release in 1961. She has since recorded works by composers including Ginastera, Rachmaninoff and Schumann, to whom she describes feeling a particular connection.[16]

She gained international attention when she won the VII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1965, at age 24.[17] On January 16, 1966, she made her American debut at the Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall with Schuman's Op. 17, Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 and various works by Chopin.[18]

Argerich performing at the Kirchner Cultural Centre, July 2015

Argerich has often remarked in interviews of feeling "lonely" on stage during solo performances.[19] Since the 1980s, she has staged few solo performances, concentrating instead on concertos and, in particular, chamber music, and collaborating with instrumentalists in sonatas.

Argerich has also promoted younger pianists, both through her annual festival and through her appearances as a member of the jury at international competitions.[20][21][22][23][24] She has supported several artists, including Gabriela Montero, Mauricio Vallina, Sergio Tiempo, Roberto Carnevale, Gabriele Baldocci, and Christopher Falzone.[25][26][27]

Argerich performing at the later Kirchner Cultural Centre, 2008

Argerich is the president of the International Piano Academy Lake Como and performs annually at the Lugano Festival.[28] She has also created and has served as a General Director of the Argerich Music Festival and Encounter in Beppu, Japan, since 1996.

Although she maintains a private life, Argerich has been described as one of the greatest contemporary pianists.[29][30][31][32]

Personal life

Argerich during a rehearsal with the orchestra for the final of the VII International Chopin Piano Competition, 1965
Argerich introduces herself, 2018

Argerich's first marriage was to composer-conductor Robert Chen (Chinese: 陈亮声; pinyin: Chén Liàngshēng),[33] with whom she had her first child (violinist Lyda Chen-Argerich).[34] The marriage was dissolved after several months, in 1964.[35] From 1969 to 1973, Argerich was married to Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, with whom she had her second daughter, Annie Dutoit. Although they separated in 1973, Argerich and Dutoit continued to collaborate. In the 1970s, Argerich had a relationship with the American pianist Stephen Kovacevich,[36] with whom she had her third daughter, Stéphanie.[35] Although they made few recordings together during their relationship, Argerich and Kovacevich continued to perform together well into the 21st century.[37] Stéphanie Argerich explains in her film "Argerich – Bloody Daughter" that as her parents were not married, they tossed a coin to name their daughter, for which Argerich won the toss. Argerich brought her children up in a manner described by Annie Dutoit as "bohemian";[38] Argerich preferred her children to stay at home rather than go to school and regularly hosted young musicians in her home and practiced through the night. During the 1980s, Argerich was in a relationship with the French pianist Michel Béroff.[39]

Argerich is a polyglot and can speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, English, and Portuguese.[40][41][42][43] Although her mother tongue is Spanish, she brought her children up speaking French.[44] She has lived in Argentina, Belgium, Switzerland, and France, and holds citizenship for Switzerland and Argentina.[45]

Argerich has never been connected to any political party.[46] However, she stated in a 2019 interview that she is strongly against capital punishment and admires the French politician Robert Badinter, who enacted the abolition of the death penalty in France.[47] Her friend, the pianist Daniel Barenboim, stated that when he contacted the Argentine president Mauricio Macri in 2016, asking him to accept Syrian refugees into the country, it was also on behalf of Argerich.[48]

In 1990, Argerich was diagnosed with melanoma. After treatment, the cancer went into remission, but it recurred in 1995 and metastasized to her lungs, pancreas, liver, brain, and lymph nodes. Following an experimental treatment at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica pioneered by oncologist Donald Morton, Argerich's cancer went into remission again. In gratitude, Argerich performed a recital at Carnegie Hall benefiting the institute.[49] As of 2023, Argerich remains cancer-free.[12] In August 2023 she was forced to cancel several concerts in Germany and Switzerland due to an undisclosed illness.[50]

Media

In 2002, director Georges Gachot [de] released Martha Argerich: Conversation nocturne (Martha Argerich: Evening Talks), a documentary film about Argerich.[51] Stéphanie Argerich Blagojevic, using film she had shot since childhood, directed a 2012 documentary film about her mother, titled Bloody Daughter.[52]

In September 2025, an interview with Argerich appeared on the YouTube podcast fortissimo,[53] hosted by young Swiss pianists Lucas Chiche and David Chen Argerich - the latter being Argerich's grandson.

Awards

See also

Notes

  1. ^ At the latter she met Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, whom she would later seek out for lessons – although she studied with him for over a year, she only had four lessons with him. Michelangeli, when asked what he had done for Argerich, replied: "I taught her the gift of silence".[11]

References

  1. ^ * Barone, Joshua (18 October 2017). "Hear the Martha Argerich Recordings That Inspired 8 Young Pianists". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2025. one of the greatest pianists in the world
  2. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/17/martha-argerich-review-euroarts-collection-80-birthday
  3. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (25 March 2000). "An Enigmatic Pianist Reclaims Her Stardom". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  4. ^ "La vida de una pianista única: "Martha Argerich" por Moshé Korin". Lavozylaopinion.com.ar. Retrieved 21 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ^ "Portrait : Martha Argerich – Arts-Scènes". Owl-ge.ch. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Martha Argerich and Daniel Rivera 25 Agosto 2019 Taormina". Taormina Opera Stars. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b Elder, Dean (5 February 1978). "Excerpts from "The Mercurial Martha Argerich"". Archived from the original on 7 June 2000. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  8. ^ Niel Immelman (14 April 2009). "The Guardian, 14 April 2009". Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  9. ^ Manildi, Donald Musician of the Year 2001 Martha Argerich, "Musical America", 2001
  10. ^ Angel, Amanda (23 June 2016). "Kennedy Center Honors Martha Argerich". The Kennedy Center.
  11. ^ Andrew Clark (8 July 2011). "Strains of mood music". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  12. ^ a b Midgette, Anne (1 December 2016). "Martha Argerich is a legend of the classical music world. But she doesn't act like one". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  13. ^ Doherty, Kevin. "Artist Of The Week: Martha Argerich". Capradio.org.
  14. ^ Iisaka, Ken. "The Essential Martha Argerich". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  15. ^ "La niña pianista: Martha Argerich y su debut en el Teatro Colón [The child pianist: Martha Argerich and her debut at the Teatro Colón]". Musica Classica (Buenos Aires). Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "Bloody Daughter">"Bloody Daughter"
  17. ^ Anastassia Boutsko (6 April 2021). "'Lioness' of piano: Martha Argerich turns 80". dw.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  18. ^ Hughes, Allen (17 January 1966). "Martha Argerich, Pianist, 24, Makes Impressive U.S. Debut". The New York Times. p. 31.
  19. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  20. ^ "About". Chopin International Competition. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Jury". ASU Competition. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Ninth Competition". Arthur Rubinstein Competition. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  23. ^ McCormick, Lisa (2018). "Pogorelich at the Chopin: Towards a sociology of competition scandals". The Chopin Review (1). Fryderyk Chopin Institute. ISSN 2544-9249. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  24. ^ Ho, Elijah (22 September 2011). "Interview with Dang Thai Son". The Counterpoints.
  25. ^ "Classicalrecitals". YouTube. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  26. ^ "Progetto Martha Argerich" (in Italian). Rsi.ch. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  27. ^ "Progetto Martha Argerich" (in Italian). Rsi.ch. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  28. ^ "Progetto Martha Argerich" (in Italian). .rsi.ch. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  29. ^ Ross, Alex (12 November 2001). "Madame X". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  30. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (20 March 2005). "Classical Music: Recordings; Boisterous Beethoven, Brooding Brahms". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  31. ^ Carrizo, Rodrigo (24 January 2013). "Examining a Martha-daughter relationship – SWI". Swissinfo.ch. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  32. ^ In a 2001 article about Martha Argerich for The New Yorker, critic Alex Ross wrote: "Argerich brings to bear qualities that are seldom contained in one person: she is a pianist of brain-teasing technical agility; she is a charismatic woman with an enigmatic reputation; she is an unaffected interpreter whose native language is music. This last may be the quality that sets her apart. A lot of pianists play huge double octaves; a lot of pianists photograph well. But few have the unerring naturalness of phrasing that allows them to embody the music rather than interpret it."
  33. ^ "二十八国华人演奏家"百鸟还巢"". News.163.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  34. ^ "Lyda Chen-Argerich, violinist". Sens Management. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  35. ^ a b Hauptfuhrer, Fred; Vespa, Mary (7 April 1980). "A Top Woman Pianist, Martha Argerich, Nearly Gave Up Her Steinway for Steno". people.com. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  36. ^ "Martha Argerich Speaks to Stephen Kovacevich". Gramophone.co.uk. November 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  37. ^ Martha Argerich e Stephen Kovacevich – Leffest 2018. Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ Martha Argerich en concert privé – private concert [SSTEN, SSTFR, SSTDE] – ARTE Concert. ARTE Concert. 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ "Bloody Daughter"
  40. ^ 2012 Verbier Festival – interview#16 – Martha Argerich. medici.tv. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ Martha Argerich – RARE – Interview & rehearsal – Hamburg Laeiszhalle. musicbox78nrw. 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  42. ^ RSI – INTERVISTA A MARTHA ARGERICH. Gerardo Nardelli. 24 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  43. ^ Nelson Freire e Marta Argerich tocando Racmaninoff Opus 2 ppara duas maos. Daniel De Nardi. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  44. ^ "Bloody Daughter"
  45. ^ "Argerich (Bloody Daughter)". Newwavefilms.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  46. ^ "No, no es real este video de Martha Argerich tocando la marcha peronista". Clarin.com. 7 September 2019.
  47. ^ Martha Argerich, in her own words (with English Subtitles). Argerich Vault. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  48. ^ "Daniel Barenboim on ageing, mistakes and why Israel and Iran are twin brothers". TheGuardian.com. 16 August 2016.
  49. ^ Toronto Globe and Mail, concert review, 28 March 2000
  50. ^ "The Local". Thelocal.de. 9 August 2023.
  51. ^ "Martha Argerich, conversation nocturne". IMDb.com.
  52. ^ Leslie Felperin (30 April 2015). "Argerich review – a daughter's honest portrait of her classical-pianist mother". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  53. ^ "Nocturne with a Legend". youtube.com. 7 September 2025.
  54. ^ "Storia del Concorso – Fondazione Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Ferruccio Busoni". Concorsobusoni.it. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  55. ^ "Gramophone Hall of Fame : Artists Page". Gramophone.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  56. ^ "The Kennedy Center Honors". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  57. ^ "Concerto in onore di Zubin Mehta". Presidenza della Repubblica (Italy). 24 October 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  58. ^ "Martha Argerich y Daniel Barenboim fueron condecorados por el presidente de Francia con la Legión de Honor". LA NACION (in Spanish). 12 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  59. ^ "Romania decorates renowned pianist Martha Argerich". Romania Insider. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  60. ^ International Astronomical Union (21 July 2025). "New Names of Minor Planets" (PDF). WGSBN Bulletin. 5 (17). Retrieved 21 July 2025. Martha Argerich (b. 1941) is a world-renowned Argentine pianist celebrated for her virtuosity and passionate performances. She began playing the piano at an early age and trained both in her home country and in Europe. Her unique style and energetic stage presence have made her an iconic figure in contemporary classical music.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Argerich