Musician of the Month: Martha Argerich

What a profound talent we've found in Martha Argerich-a very interesting and talented Argentinian classical pianist. She's a real success story, a natural piano genius who is a genuine living legend on the classical music scene. 

When her hands descend on the black and whites, a robust and booming performance results that's backed by both force and speed. The fact that Argerich's ferocious presence on the stage leaves listeners shocked that it's a woman performing is one of many reasons why Martha Argerich is our March musician of the month. 

The Bold, Yet Uncertain, Martha Argerich

One of the greatest pianists of all time, Martha Argerich, presents herself on a personal level as anything but the renowned musical genius that she is. She prefers to stay out of the spotlight, rarely agreeing to do an interview. She's wildly beautiful, recognized by her long, thick hair, and strongly committed to living a normal life. Argerich often emerges on stage with a reluctance that contradicts her effortless, superhuman gifts you see when her fingers dance across the ivories. 

If it seems as though Argerich has spent the last seven decades running from a career as a musician, it's because she wished she could have. She would have instead been a doctor, but her natural gift emerged and decided her fate in a musical career at a young age. Still, her ever turbulent personal life and self-doubting mind were the source of much conflict throughout her career. As Argerich created a reputation for canceling performances due to her inability to control her nerves, she decided to no longer sign contracts. To book her for performance is somewhat of a "sign at your own risk" decision, but one you won't regret if she takes the stage. 

When she's able to transcend her anxieties, Argerich creates musical miracles that will leave your audience mesmerized by her talents. Her first try at the keys was at the young age of three in response to a challenge by a boy in her Kindergarten program. When Argerich got up and replicated a tune that her teacher had been playing for the class, it became something of a big deal. The young talent had a photographic memory that continues to allow her to replicate any song after hearing it just once. 

At the age of five, Argerich started her first official course of piano study with an intense lesson plan alongside the most significant influence in her life, Friedrich Gulda. Argentinian President Juan Perón even got her parents' jobs at the Argentinian embassy in Vienna so she could study with Gulda. While these early teachings set the course for her advanced success as a concert pianist, Argerich only studied with Gulda for 18 months. At the young age of eight, she performed her rendition of Concerto by Mozart in her debut concert. While this concert served as her entry into the professional music scene, it was her accomplishments in her teenage years that solidified her future in the music industry. 

Career

In 1957, at the age of sixteen, Martha Argerich won the Busoni and the Geneva International. These two piano competitions would launch Argerich's career as a professional musician. From here, she traveled the world performing concerts and critical accolades. Finally, in 1960, after much resistance, Argerich recorded her first album for Deutsche Grammophon. 

After recording her first album, Argerich studied with the legendary Italian pianist, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. After he only gave her four lessons in 18 months, she set off to New York on a quest to meet Vladimir Horowitz. After she was unsuccessful in finding Horowitz, Argerich fell into a depression and considered leaving music altogether. She took a break from music for three years, married composer/conductor Robert Chen, and got pregnant with her first daughter. 

After her daughter Lyda was born in 1964, Argerich shifted her focus back to music. She went on to win the Chopin Competition the next year. The rest of Argerich's career has been spent as a concert pianist with many famous conductors. She toured Europe, Japan, and America with Gidon Kremer and Mischa Maisky. Argerich officially gave up on solo performances, she said she never enjoyed the loneliness of playing solo. Her fame can greatly be attributed to her unique interpretation of the 19th and 20th-century virtuoso piano. 

Argerich is known to take the stage as if she's in a hurry, she gets right to playing as seen in this performance. Argerich's concerts are powerful, watch this performance of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1 with her former husband, conductor Charles Dutoit. She hits the keys with strength and speed, her hands almost a blur. You'll see here why watching her perform is mesmerizing, she's often been compared to someone who is taken over by demons. 

Argerich's most notable U.S. shows include performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. Although she stopped performing alone in the early 1980s, Argerich made her first solo appearance at a sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall in 2000. She made the exception to play at a benefit to raise money for the John Wayne Cancer Institute, which she credits to saving her life after a relapse with cancer in 1997. 

Martha Argerich continues to play with orchestras and chamber music. In 2019, she played in Britain, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany. But these days, she is most famous for the work she does with young artists through her music festivals. In 1999, the first International Martha Argerich Piano Competition was held in Buenos Aires. This annual competition ended in 2016 after the main sponsor was investigated for violation of Swiss banking laws, but not before Argerich could take the stage with her grandson. Argerich's second music festival, held annually in Japan, continues to draw in young talent. It also includes concerts and masterclasses by Argerich, Mischa Maisky, and Nelson Freire. 

Argerich's Most Profound Career Awards

While Argerich is not as well known as most accomplished pianists, the impressive list of awards she's received include:

• 1st prize at the 1965 International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition

• Tokyo Record Academy Award, Diapason D'or in 1992

• Edison Award with Gidon Kremer in 1992 and 1993

• Tokyo Record Academy Award in 1995

• CD Compact Award in 1997

• Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with orchestra) for Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3/ Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 in 2000

• Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance for Cinderella Suite for Two Pianos/Ravel: Ma Mere L'Oye in 2005

• Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with orchestra) for Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 in 2006

• Kennedy Center Award in 2016

Interestingly, Argerich couldn't understand why she received the Kennedy Center Award. Watch her speak about receiving the award in a rare interview seen here. Presented by President Barack Obama, Argerich took the stage alongside U.S. legends such as Al Pacino, James Taylor, and Don Henley, to name a few. 

Despite her tendency to self-doubt, Argerich was indeed an inspiration in the classical music industry. In Bloody Daughter, a documentary about Argerich from the eyes of her daughter, a behind-the-scenes rehearsal shows a conductor requesting Argerich to slow down for a moment so the orchestra could catch up. That was the essence of who she was- a skillful pianist whose fast fingers and powerful performances transcended all challenges to highlight the true talents of a natural-born musical genius.