In May this year, LA NACION announced that, through the Teatro Colón Foundation, a musical week was in the making for November, whose axis would be centered around Martha Argerich. Almost six months later, the Colón has now announced that the initial idea has materialized. The advance information volunteered by the Foundation to LA NACION will take place with millimetric precision.

The information now has an aggregate value in view of the great frustration experienced by the cancellation of the second edition of the International Competition that carries the great Argentine pianist's name, to be held at the Teatro Argentino of La Plata, and the cancellation of the concert that she would perform there with the resident orchestra. It is known that the attacks that took place in New York and Washington resulted in the postponement of travel plans, changes in schedule and altered states of mind and personal arrangements. And unfortunately, there wasn't much choice but to postpone the Competition until, presumably, March 2002.  

Therefore now, from November 10 to 17, the fulfillment of the Martha Argerich Festival  -for that is the name which has been given to the event-  acquires another dimension. These Festivals  - that Argerich heads in various points/places of the northern hemisphere since 1998, when the first took place in Beppu, Japan-  include piano solo and chamber music recitals, orchestral concerts with numerous guest musicians and master classes, which some of these musicians will hold/teach/be responsible for. The Festival in this case, the first to be held in our country, will have a healthy Argentine and Latin American tint/character/flavor, both in terms of the works to be performed and the musicians who will be playing. 

Some of the most talented Latin American pianists will accompany Martha Argerich, such as the Brazilians, Nelson Freire (Martha's habitual/customary partner of unforgettable evenings) and Ricardo Castro; the Argentines, Eduardo Delgado, Karin Lechner and Eduardo Hubert; the Cubans, Zenaida Manfugás and Mauricio Vallina, and the Venezuelan, Gabriela Montero. The only musician not a pianist, is the great Israeli violinist, Ivry Gitlis, even though there are still some programming slots that read, with a certain air of mystery, "guest artists". 

The orchestras that will perform will be the 'Orquesta Estable' [resident orchestra] of the Colón Theatre, the Academic Orchestra [youth orchestra] and the Camerata Bariloche. This latter will thus return to the Colón, from whose sphere it should never have been removed. The conductors of the 'Estable' will be the Brazilian, Roberto Tibiriça and our own fellow countryman, Pedro Ignacio Calderón. The Youth Orchestra will perform under Guillermo Scarabino and, of course, Fernando Hasaj will be the leader and will conduct the Camerata Bariloche  

Almost a Miracle

Activities will take place the whole day long at the Colón, both in the main hall and in the Salón Dorado. Given that a detailed list of each concert and recital exceeds any space available, we can only name some precise facts. For example, on the first day, Tibiriçá will perform Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and two piano concertos, by Villa-Lobos and Ravel, in which Manfugás, Freire and Argerich will play in that order. On Sunday 11, together with the soloists of the Camerata, Martha will perform Schumann's Piano Quintet, Op. 44. On Thursday 15, there will be a Megaconcert starting at midday and which will end 12 hours later. During the course of that day, split in three long continuous groups, each guest musician will play various works as soloist, in chamber ensembles and with orquestra. The last, when midnight begins to show, will be Poulenc's double concerto, with Argerich and Freire each at their respective pianos. The final concert, on Saturday 17th November,  will be at full Tchaikovsky; Gitlis will play the Violin Concerto and Martha will be in charge of the Piano Concerto No. 1.  

Alongside the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart and many more European composers,  works by Guastavino, Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Lecuona, Juan Bautista Plaza, Albéniz, Piazzolla, Arturo Cuellar and José Pablo Moncayo will come alive, Latin American composers that are most probably not heard in the festivals that Martha organizes in Japan and Belgium.

When a certain air of anxiety had already settled as a result of the opera season coming to an end with Verdi's Requiem, which will have its first performance the day after tomorrow -  to which must be added the disappointment of the interruption of the opera season at the Teatro Argentino-  the Argerich Festival emerges as a miraculous event coming to appease the absences and misfortunes suffered. But beyond the notables who, themselves, will fill the Colón with music, it is undoubtedly Martha Argerich's magic which will give it unsurpassed brightness. The Argentine public holds a particular devotion towards her, which goes beyond mere issues of nationality. Because after all, without a doubt and excluding singers, Martha is the most noteworthy artist of all times. 

Pablo Kohan

Five Grand Performances

The full program includes five performances in the main hall (the continuous three sessions of the Megaconcert are to be considered as one) and different solo, chamber music recitals and Master Classes. The latter will be given by Zenaida Manfugás (piano), Ivry Gitlis (violin) and Eduardo Hubert (chamber music). Depending on the day, the different activities and the artists performing, prices will range from US$ 60 and US$ 90 in the stalls, to US$ 12 and US$ 18 upstairs in the 1st row Gallery seats. There will also be different types of subscription series to either two concerts or all of them.