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Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 54 by Robert Schumann
Performer: Martha Argerich (Piano)
Conductor: Franz Paul Decker
Orchestra/Ensemble: Radio Canada Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1841-1845; Germany
In 1976, Miss Argerich was in the studios of the CBC Montreal network where she performed the Schumann Piano Concerto, Liszt’s Funérailles and Ravel’s Jeux d’eau. The program preserved what is believed to be the only concerto performance by the pianist that has been captured on video. The concerto receives a patrician performance with all the tonal beauty one would expect from this remarkable artist. The Ravel also benefits from her gorgeous tonal palette and evenness of touch. It is in the Liszt that one experiences the staggering virtuosity that is the other element of Argerich’s art. The left-hand octave passages in Funérailles are played with such awesome speed that the video cameras could barely capture the movement of the hand. As exhilarating to watch as to hear, Argerich on television is a major addition to the recorded work of one of the foremost talents of our day.
