Track Listing

1. 1. Allegro ma non tanto - Martha Argerich, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
2. 2. Intermezzo (Adagio) - Martha Argerich, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
3. 3. Finale (Alla breve) - Martha Argerich, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
4. 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito - Martha Argerich, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Kyril Kondrashin
5. 2. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I - Martha Argerich, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Kyril Kondrashin
6. 3. Allegro con fuoco - Martha Argerich, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Kyril Kondrashin

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37551 in Music
• Released on: 1995-07-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 73 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Martha Argerich's reputation is secure. She will go down in history as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, touching everything she does with a scorching genius. And of her all-too-few recordings, this is one of the most celebrated: live performances of two of the great warhorses of the piano concerto repertoire, here transformed into the sleekest, most finely honed of racehorses. Tantalisingly, her Rachmaninov Third had to wait 13 years before it was issued, but when it finally arrived no one was in any doubt that it had been worth the wait. Its epic 45-minute span emerges here as a single stream of consciousness, with the finale as brilliantly explosive as you'll ever hear it. In the Tchaikovsky (from two years earlier), too, it doesn't matter that the opening is one of the most hackneyed things in all music--Argerich's performance is a one-off. High praise should also be heaped upon conductors and orchestras for keeping up with this most volatile of artists without upset. There is no need to hesitate: if you love these pieces, this recording demands a place on your shelves. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews

Extraordinary, magical playing
There are good performances and very good performances. Then there are performances like this...

Argerich's Rachmaninov 3rd is one of those very rare performances which seem to transcend the composition itself; in her hands it becomes greater music than we knew it to be.

Throughout, her playing and that of the RSO is alert, probing, compelling. The Allegro is brooding, flowing, tension-filled; touching, yet with a sense of massive energy barely held under control. The Intermezzo is wonderfully expressive; shifting in an instant from solitary melancholy to full-blown tragedy, and always with a sense of the explosion to come. In the finale itself, the tension is finally released; there is everything from blistering passion to the dancing of angels. The first time I heard it, I was moved to tears.

Incidentally, the Tchaikovsky is also very, very good; not quite great, but well worth having.

There is nothing to think about, nothing to compare this with; if you want Rachimaninov's 3rd (or even if you don't!) you should buy this.

Stunning
This recording on balance for me is the best I've heard. Although throughout the Rach cadenza there are missed notes by the handful, the pace and the drama of the playing is astonishing. Compare this to Ashkenazy/LSO/Previn and you'll practically fall asleep during the Ashkenazy. However, Previn masters his orchestra perfectly and brings out aspects of the piece you might miss on hearing the Argerich. This is not surprising, perhaps as the Argerich is a live recording.

The Tchaikovsky in the same disk is equally impressive, if not more so. Argerich handles the cadenza a lot better this time with no mistakes, hammering out some astounding chordal descents down the keyboard. An astonishing rendition of this somewhat flawed piece of music.

Utterly fabulous playing
I always thought this concerto overlong and bombastic. How wrong I was. Argerich's long awaited live performance is stupendous. Turn it up loud and be blown away . Her playing like a firestorm and quiet poetry by turns is in a class of its own. Buy it!