Martha Argerich

Biography

Martha Argerich was born on 5 June 1941 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From the age of five, the young girl revealed astonishing musical predispositions on the piano, thwarting her desire to become a doctor.

Trained at the conservatoire, she was already transcribing Mozart and Beethoven concertos and Bach suites at the age of eight with the greatest of ease. In 1955 (when she was just fourteen), the Argentine government awarded her a scholarship to study in Europe with the greatest masters, in London, Vienna and Switzerland. The pianists Friedrich Gulda, Nikita Magaloff and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli gave her lessons. 

Winner of major piano prizes at the Geneva and Bolzano competitions, Martha Argerich went on to win the prestigious Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1965 and began her professional career at Lincoln Center in New York the following year. Already, her uncompromising temperament was earning her the wrath of concert organisers, as she was faced with withdrawals that were as inexplicable as they were unexpected. Rebellious to the end, the pianist never signed a contract, despite a schedule drawn up over several months. Her first recording, in 1960, earned her the compliments of Vladimir Horowitz.

In 1969, Martha Argerich married the conductor Charles Dutoit, from whom she divorced in 1973, interrupting her career for three years. She then married pianist Stephen Kovacevich. Martha Argerich's great facility and instinct for the score enabled her to tackle composers of all periods, from Bach to contemporary works, including the most beautiful pages by Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Rave, Debussy and Stravinsky, which she magnified. In 1980, reluctant to give solo recitals, she decided to perform only with a chamber orchestra or large orchestra. 

Martha Argerich is also recognised as a great supporter of young pianists. She was responsible for the revelation of Ivo Pogorelic and the rise of Hélène Grimaud. A close friend of Nelson Freire, she has been organising the Beppu Festival in Japan since 1996, and regularly releases the results of her concerts on record. Holder of four Grammy Awards and a host of other accolades, and Officier des Arts et Lettres (1996), Martha Argerich has long been a legend in the piano world, and continues to perform from one festival to the next, as and when she pleases. 

In 2014, she was deeply affected by the death of her early partner, Claudio Abbado. The Complete Concertos compilation of their joint works was released between the anthology Le Piano Roi (2014) and two new recitals: one devoted to duets by Mozart, Schubert and Stravinsky, and the other to music for two pianos by Rachmaninov, with Nelson Goerner.

Source: Loïc Picaud / Universal Music