Martha Argerich

Martha Argerich (Argentine ; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest living pianists.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At sixteen, she won both the Geneva International Music Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition, and her international career was launched after winning the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1965. Since the 1980s, she has prioritized collaborative performance, appearing frequently with artists including Nelson Freire, Mischa Maisky, and Gidon Kremer. Argerich is particularly known for her interpretations of the works by composers such as Chopin, Ravel, Liszt, Prokofiev, and Schumann.

Early life and education

thumb|Argerich in 1962

Argerich was born in Buenos Aires. Her paternal ancestors were from Catalonia, based in Buenos Aires since the 18th century. Her maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, who settled in Colonia Villa Clara in Argentina's Entre Ríos Province, one of the colonies established by Baron de Hirsch and the Jewish Colonization Association. The provenance of the name Argerich is Catalonia.

Argerich began kindergarten around three years old, where she was the youngest child. A five-year-old boy, who was a friend, teased her that she would not be able to play the piano, and Argerich responded by playing a piece perfectly by ear. Around the same time, started learning the piano at the age of three. At the age of five, she began to study under Vincenzo Scaramuzza, who emphasized lyricism and feeling.

Argerich performed in her first concert in 1949 at the age of eight. Six years later, her family moved to Europe. There, Argerich studied with Friedrich Gulda in Austria, whom she described as one of her major influences. She later studied with Stefan Askenase and Maria Curcio.

Argerich also studied under Madeleine Lipatti (widow of Dinu Lipatti), Abbey Simon, and Nikita Magaloff. In 1957, at sixteen, she won both the Ferruccio Busoni International Competition and the Geneva International Music Competition.

Following this success, Argerich had a personal and artistic crisis. After an attempt to study with the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, who gave her only four lessons in the space of 18 months, she went to New York City with the intention of studying under Vladimir Horowitz. For three years, Argerich stopped playing piano and considered pursuing a career as a secretary or doctor. She credited Anny Askenase, the wife of Stefan Askenase, with encouraging her to return to the piano.

In 1960, Argerich had made her first commercial recording, which included works by Chopin, Brahms, Ravel, Prokofiev, and Liszt; it received critical acclaim upon its release in 1961. She has since recorded works by composers including Ginastera, Rachmaninoff and Schumann, to whom she describes feeling a particular connection.

She gained international attention when she won the VII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1965, at age 24. On January 16, 1966, she made her American debut at the Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall with Schuman's Op. 17, Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 and various works by Chopin.

thumb|Argerich performing at the [[Kirchner Cultural Centre, July 2015]]

Argerich has often remarked in interviews of feeling "lonely" on stage during solo performances. Since the 1980s, she has staged few solo performances, concentrating instead on concertos and, in particular, chamber music, and collaborating with instrumentalists in sonatas.

Argerich has also promoted younger pianists, both through her annual festival and through her appearances as a member of the jury at international competitions. She has supported several artists, including Gabriela Montero, Mauricio Vallina, Sergio Tiempo, Roberto Carnevale, Gabriele Baldocci, and Christopher Falzone.

thumb|Argerich performing at the later [[Kirchner Cultural Centre, 2008]]

Argerich is the president of the International Piano Academy Lake Como and performs annually at the Lugano Festival. She has also created and has served as a General Director of the Argerich Music Festival and Encounter in Beppu, Japan, since 1996.

Although she maintains a private life, Argerich has been described as one of the greatest contemporary pianists. Based on a survey of 100 professional pianists, the BBC Music Magazine ranked Argerich among the top 21 pianists of all time. The Gramophone Magazine included Argerich among the top 50 pianists on record for her recording of Chopin Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2

with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (Warner Classics).

Personal life

thumb|Argerich during a rehearsal with the orchestra for the final of the [[VII International Chopin Piano Competition, 1965]]

thumb|Argerich introduces herself, 2018

Argerich's first marriage was to composer-conductor Robert Chen (), with whom she had her first child (violinist Lyda Chen-Argerich). The marriage was dissolved after several months, in 1964. with whom she had her third daughter, Stéphanie. Although they made few recordings together during their relationship, Argerich and Kovacevich continued to perform together well into the 21st century. Stéphanie Argerich explains in her film "Argerich – Bloody Daughter" that as her parents were not married, they tossed a coin to name their daughter, for which Argerich won the toss. Argerich brought her children up in a manner described by Annie Dutoit as "bohemian"; Argerich preferred her children to stay at home rather than go to school and regularly hosted young musicians in her home and practiced through the night. During the 1980s, Argerich was in a relationship with the French pianist Michel Béroff.

Argerich is a polyglot and can speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, English, and Portuguese. Although her mother tongue is Spanish, she brought her children up speaking French.

Argerich has never been connected to any political party. However, she stated in a 2019 interview that she is strongly against capital punishment and admires the French politician Robert Badinter, who enacted the abolition of the death penalty in France. Her friend, the pianist Daniel Barenboim, stated that when he contacted the Argentine president Mauricio Macri in 2016, asking him to accept Syrian refugees into the country, it was also on behalf of Argerich.

In 1990, Argerich was diagnosed with melanoma. After treatment, the cancer went into remission, but it recurred in 1995 and metastasized to her lungs, pancreas, liver, brain, and lymph nodes. Following an experimental treatment at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica pioneered by oncologist Donald Morton, Argerich's cancer went into remission again. In gratitude, Argerich performed a recital at Carnegie Hall benefiting the institute. , Argerich remains cancer-free.

Media

In 2002, director released Martha Argerich: Conversation nocturne (Martha Argerich: Evening Talks), a documentary film about Argerich. Stéphanie Argerich Blagojevic, using film she had shot since childhood, directed a 2012 documentary film about her mother, titled Bloody Daughter.

In September 2025, an interview with Argerich appeared on the YouTube podcast fortissimo, hosted by young Swiss pianists Lucas Chiche and David Chen Argerich - the latter being Argerich's grandson.

Awards

Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition: 1st prize (1957)
Geneva International Music Competition: 1st prize (1957)
VII International Chopin Piano Competition: 1st prize (1965)
Claudio Arrau Memorial Medal (1997)
Diamond Konex Award (1999) as the most important classical musician of the decade in Argentina
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):
Charles Dutoit (conductor), Martha Argerich, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 / Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 (2000)
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:
Martha Argerich and Mikhail Pletnev for Prokofiev (Arr. Pletnev): Cinderella Suite for Two Pianos / Ravel: Ma mere l'Oye (2005)
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (2005) Japan
Praemium Imperiale (2005) Japan
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):
Claudio Abbado (conductor), Martha Argerich, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra for Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (2006)
Voted into Gramophones Hall of Fame (2012)
Recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors (2016)
Recipient of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2018)
Recipient of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2023)
Recipient of National Order of Faithful Service by the Romanian Presidency (2025)
Main-belt asteroid 56067 Argerich named by the International Astronomical Union (2025)

Notes

References

External links

"Argerich—Discography," (August 11, 1999)
Ross, Alex; 'Madame X', November 12, 2001, a profile of Argerich in The New Yorker
Martha Argerich, evening talks , the award-winning documentary film about Argerich by Georges Gachot
Orga, Ates, River Plate Queen (1978, 2006), an interview with Argerich first published in the 1979 International Music Guide
MUSIC FESTIVAL Argerich's Meeting Point in Beppu, a music festival sponsored by the Argerich Arts Foundation of Beppu, Japan
The Martha Argerich Project
Argerich Music news, concert schedule, articles, recordings
Argerich's repertoire through the years
Martha Argerich biography, CD and concert review by cosmopolis.ch