Martha Argerich, one of the most successful and famous pianists will hold a concert in Belgrade, Serbia. The date is the 9th of July, so it is soon that I will be able to see and hear the Piano Diva in a live setting. Well, first I have to travel 2.500 km to reach Serbia and Belgrade, but I hope everything will go well on the road trip.
I still can't believe it. I am excited and happy, but at the same time, it is like a dream, still not a reality in my mind that it is going to happen indeed. But I have got already the tickets, so that could be a point where I should start to visualize the concert. Maybe a video of her performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto can help.
For those who maybe hear about her for the first time, I would like to say a few words. First of all, for me, she is a Diva. A Grey Piano Diva... grey, as her hair is completely grey now - she is 81 years old!! Born in 1941 in Buenos Aires, started in Argentina but conquered the whole world with her passion for piano. She was three when her piano journey started, with four gave her first recital in public and with eight performed Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor.
She has a great piano technique and huge musicality. When Martha was young, she won several very important piano competitions, and in the years 2000, 2005 and 2006 won three Grammy Awards.
Her life must have been full of passion and drama. She has three children from three different marriages (actually just two were marriages) and when her first daughter was born, she didn't play the piano for two or three years.
I remember from the university (subject history of pianism) that our professor told us an anecdote about her. Can't really promise it is true, but it is interesting. So, when she was studying, she had a roommate, another pianist. When that other one was practising Martha listened to her and that way also learned the pieces. The bad thing was that she also learned the compositions with the same mistakes as her roommate had.
One common thing you see in the two videos I have shared here... She is not playing alone. Apparently, she stopped playing as a soloist as she felt better sharing the stage with other musicians. It can be chamber music, with other pianists or with orchestras. The latter one is her favourite discipline, as she indeed shines the best in piano concertos. Mostly Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Beethoven, all those piano concertos require great technique. In Belgrade, she will play the piano concerto by M. Ravel. Can't wait to listen to her live this piece:
But, not to anticipate too much, I will leave my excitement for the day of the concert that will be held in the concert hall of Ilija. M Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade. Well, I hope she will be there as sometimes she has the freedom not to appear at her concerts. Ok, I will stay positive and hope that finally, I will see her. Soon!