These previously unpublished German Radio broadcast recordings (all but one from 1967) capture Martha Argerich’s Chopin at its youthful peak: impetuous, rhapsodic, musically loaded for bear, and pianistically uncanny.
The disc opens with a fervent and daring G minor Ballade from 1959–the 18-year-old Argerich already was Argerich. The Op. 59 No. 1 and 2 Mazurkas’ winsome rubatos and dynamic taperings do not substantially differ from those on Argerich’s 1967 DG Chopin solo disc. By contrast, No. 3 from the same group pushes a little harder and contains similarly telegraphed phrases (that is, where the right hand slightly anticipates the downbeat).
My opening sentence adjectives particularly apply to the B minor sonata, which essentially adheres to the studio recording’s game plan, but with a more expansive Largo in tow. While the rippling calm of the Op. 15 No. 1 Nocturne’s outer sections proves more satisfying than Argerich’s less stable 1965 EMI version, Op. 55 No. 2’s sublime polyphonic web occasionally tangles and overheats. Overheating, however, doesn’t hurt the Op. 10 No. 4 Etude, served up with impressive finger power and nervous energy, notwithstanding an overpedaled coda.
Perhaps a group of five mazurkas (four of them previously unrecorded by Argerich) best profile the pianist’s individuality. Her fluid rubato and ethereal melody/accompaniment separation create a hypnotic languor in the E minor Op. 41 No. 1 and F minor Op. 63 No. 2 pieces. The C-sharp minor Op. 41 No. 4 begins deliberately, working its way up to controlled abandon. Little rhythmic kicks and offbeat stresses lend interest to the D major Op. 33 No. 2’s repeating main strain, while the quirky C major Op. 24 No. 2 is lithe and uncommonly brisk–it nearly finishes before it starts. The less said about Jürgen Otten’s fatuous program notes, the better, yet one cannot say enough about vintage Argerich.
