Frederic Chopin(1810-1849)
       Preludes, Opus 28

Martha Argerich
Deutsche Gramophon
Recorded 1977
Comparison Version: Moiseiwitsch/Testament

I didn't list the catalog number of this dynamic performance, because
it is available in different packaging from Deutsche Grammophon.  My
copy, # 431584, is a solo disc also having 3 Mazurkas and a Scherzo.  The
performance can also be found in two different 2-cd sets and has just been
released as a DG Originals offering with the 2nd Piano Sonata.  That comes
out to four distinct ways to acquire the Argerich interpretation, and there
are likely more as well.  Regardless of which recording one might choose
based on cost and couplings, Argerich's Chopin Preludes is considered one
of the superlative interpretations of the 20th century.

I decided to use the Moiseiwitsch recording for comparison, because both
Moiseiwitsch and Argerich are outstanding but quite different from one
another.  I tend to think of Moiseiwitsch as 'The Boss' of classical
pianism, just as Bruce Springstein is the 'The Boss' of Rock music.
Moiseiwitsch's version of the Preludes is a commanding one, as he always
presents strong centers of gravity in an insistent fashion.

Martha Argerich wants nothing to do with centers of gravity.  She is the
'Queen of the Wild Kingdom':  impetuous, smoldering, nerves on end, as she
darts her muti-directional way through the work.  Argerich scrapes away all
semblance of Chopin's stability and presents a disoriented Chopin ready to
snap at any moment.

Of course, many preludes in the set can not handle the above treatment,
and Argerich expertly changes gears to best convey each prelude.  When
tenderness, poignancy, mystery, plyfulness, or grace are called for,
Argerich is always answering the need.

However, it's Chopin's wild side that is most memorable in Argerich's
readings and makes her version so distictive.  In the 5th Prelude, she
gives us a great taste of Chopin spinning out of control, while the 6th
conveys tension at a fever-pitch.  She blasts through the 12th Prelude
and shows a decided kinship with the Devil in the 14th Prelude.  Her 16th
Prelude is the most frenetic I know, and the depths of anger are thoroughly
invaded in the 18th and 22nd Preludes.  Argerich caps it off with a mighty
24th Prelude.

These wild interpretations are austere as hell and not for the faint of
heart.  My general criteria for judging the quality of performances of the
above eight preludes simply can't apply to Argerich.  She's in a world all
her own and can only be judged on the impact she creates and passes on to
her listeners.  All I can say is that the impact is tremendous and
relentless.

There's also much to love about Argerich's other preludes.  In the 2nd,
her bass-line conveys the inexorable march of depression; in the 4th, an
intense and contemplative melancholy erases the enjoyment of life.  The 6th
Prelude finds Argerich possessing a perfect co-existence of tenderness and
drama.  She even hones in on playfulness and serenity in the 7th Prelude
and delicacy in the 11th.  In the 10th Prelude, Argerich punches out the
descending lines with such virtuosity that it seems effortless.

Argerich delivers all the beauty of the 13th Prelude with an enticing
degree of changing tempos and dynamics.  In the 15th Prelude, her second
section bristles with the emergence of the Earth's primitive core.  The
fluid nature of her 19th Prelude is infectious, and the 23rd Prelude is a
scrumptuous dream of heavenly proportion.

Don's Conclusions:  The Martha Argerich performance joins the Cortot and
Moiseiwitsch readings as essential recorded representations of Chopin's
twenty-four preludes.  It's special character primarily emanates from the
strongest/fastest preludes, although every prelude in the set receives no
less than an excellent interpretation.  We have all heard how good Argerich
is, and this performance finds her at her absolute best.  Any decent
classical music department has at least one of the Deutsche Grammophon
issues containing this splendid 1977 performance, so there's no reason to
go without it.  One thing is for sure - a library of recordings of Chopin's
Preludes without Argerich in the inventory is lacking indeed.

Don Satz
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