Martha Argerich

Now that I have paid tribute to my favourite conductor of all time, I wish to share my favourite piano concerto of all time: Ravels' Piano Concerto in G, 2nd movement (Largo). The best passionate interpretation of this score is by the ever-elusive Argentine concert pianist, Martha Argerich.

I was introduced to this concerto during my music class in college years ago - and it is probably one of the hardest piano score to play - especially the 1st and 3rd movement - but don't be fooled by the 2nd movement too! I never played this anymore since then as it is just too depressing. And the 2nd movement is so challenging emotionally - it takes so much of me to play this right, then. Now, I just enjoy the music, and after my search, Martha Argerich hits the best notes with it.

Martha's aversion to the press and publicity has resulted in her remaining out of the limelight for most of her career. She has given relatively few interviews. As a result, she may not be as well known as other pianists of similar calibre. Despite this, she is widely recognized as one of the greatest modern-day pianists. In the course of my research about her, I discovered many interesting facts: In 1965, she won the 1st prize in the competitive International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. And since then, she has won 3 Grammys! This is new information for me :)

Martha Argerich has been thankfully generous in allowing radio and television broadcasts of her concerts and many of these non-commercial recordings survive to this day. These live recordings attest to Argerich’s tireless inventiveness and at times her performances are even more inspired than in her commercial recordings. Martha Argerich has through the past decades claimed the position as one of the greatest pianists of the post-war era. From her legendary debut recording in 1961 up till this day, she has given the music world some of its most valued treasures, in form of recordings and concerts. Her recordings ranges from Bach to Bartók, with an emphasis on central romantic, and early modernist repertoire.

Though she is permanently invited by the most prestigious orchestras, conductors and music festivals in Europe, Japan and America, chamber music takes a significant part of her musical life. She regularly plays and records with pianists Nelson Freire (her close Brazilian pianist friend) and Alexandre Rabinovitch, cellist Mischa Maisky and violonist Gidon Kremer: "This harmony within a group of people gives me a strong and peaceful feeling".

Since 1998 she has been the Artistic Director of the Beppu Festival in Japan; in 1999 she created the International Piano Competition and Festival Martha Argerich in Buenos Aires, and in June 2002 the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano.

Martha Argerich has received numerous distinctions: Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1996 and Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2004 by the French Government; Académicienne de Santa Cecilia in Rome in 1997; Musician of the Year, Musical America in 2001; "The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette" by the Japanese Emperor and the prestigious Praemium Imperiale by the Japan Art Association in 2005.

Now back to my favourite piano sonata. In my much younger days as a music student and as a musician with the Singapore Youth Orchestra, I wished that this music be played upon my death (that was when I was young - but the passion and emotion I have for this music is still there). The suspenseful built-up of instrumentation and the passionate exchange of dialogues first between the wind instruments and then with the brass section followed by the percussion - and all along the haunting piano in the background ... ahhhh ... you have got to hear it for yourself. The tinge of sadness, the perpetual surge of emotions are always tempered and mellowed first before the eventual climax was reached.

The best way to listen to this 2nd movement is to leave all your baggage outside the door, close it, switch off the lights, cut yourself off from all sounds, close your eyes, put on your headphone - put the volume to 7 ... let the fingers of Martha Argerich and the piano score of Ravel bring you to places you have never been ... now you will understand why it takes so much of me to play this haunting piece.

You will enjoy ...