Martha Argerich - The Sound of Martha Argerich (2011)

The Sound of Martha Argerich is a compact, three-disc sampler, one of many collections being released in 2011 in honor of Argerich's 70th birthday by her two primary labels, EMI and Deutsche Grammophon. This one breaks the music down to concertos, solos and piano duets, and chamber music. Unfortunately for fans, the concertos disc contains only excerpts, making it something of a teaser for one of EMI's other releases, the Martha Argerich Edition: Concertos box. However, the other two discs contain complete compositions. Less than half of the second disc is Argerich alone at the keyboard and is only three works: Schumann's Kinderszenen and Chopin's Scherzo No. 3 and Polonaise héroique. The Chopin is also the only early recording. It dates from 1965, a few months after she won the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. It is remarkable that her energy and committed sense of expression haven't changed that much between then and recordings made 40 years later, such as the Schumann Piano Quintet and the Réminiscences de Don Juan. Her musical enthusiasm is shared by her partners in the chamber music, and most of the duet and chamber music recordings were made at her annual Lugano Festival. The exception is the Debussy Cello Sonata with her familiar collaborator Mischa Maisky. Dating from 1981, the sound of the Debussy isn't up to the same standards as the recordings from the 2000s, but there's nothing wrong with their performance. All in all, The Sound of Martha Argerich is a very fine introduction to the overall artistry of the pianist.