Audiences are not important for me now and they never were.
This week, I can’t get enough Rachmaninoff–especially Martha Argerich’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Though she has cited Prokofiev as her favorite Russian composer, Argerich’s 1982 performance with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3 (above) is legendary. Her genius is still producing celebrated new recordings. Earlier this month, Argerich and Orchestra Mozart released an elegant and electrifying new recording of Mozart’s Piano Concertos in C Major K 503 & D Minor K 466. As I listen to recordings of her compelling performances here in Beirut–surrounded by the carnage of hate, and millions of victims of war–I’m reminded of the beauty that human hands and hearts can create when working in concert…
Bloody Daughter, a documentary about Argerich’s brilliant artistic career and enigmatic private life, was released last year. This intimate portrait of the artist’s life was directed by her daughter, and it explores the nature of their mother-daughter relationship–along with Argerich’s musical gift. You can watch a clip from the film below…
