Following the first volume of solo recordings, Vol. 2 of the
Martha Argerich Collection features seven discs of the artist's treasured concerto recordings. Listeners who have not already heard the majority of these performances owe it to themselves to start now; this collection truly contains the vast majority of
Argerich's most significant performances and legendary collaborations. From the cleanliness and precision of her Beethoven with
Sinopoli, to the unbridled passion of her Schumann with
Rostropovich, to the sheer elegance of her
Ravel with
Abbado,
Argerich is an artist with nearly limitless technical capacity, interpretive abilities, and variety of color and tone. While all of the 16 concertos heard here are performed with the utmost in tempered musical expressiveness and precision, there are two definite standouts. Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, performed with her then-husband
Charles Dutoit and the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is filled with as much power and vehemence as could ever be expected. Coupled with the surprising muscularity of
Argerich's playing is a gracefully nimble touch in the concerto's rapid passagework that will capture listeners' attention from note one.
Prokofiev's Third Concerto is a work with which
Argerich has had a very special relationship, earning her high marks for her singular interpretation of the fiendishly difficult concerto. The recording featured here with
Claudio Abbado and the
Berlin Philharmonic is among the finest made of the piece.