Argerich Solos in Taiwan

Info from newspapers and Internet reports

At the National Palace Museum.

With a pupil (story at the end).

Reports by William Hsieh on Saturday, November 25, 2000 Recital on Thursday night, November 23rd What I'm about to write below are from my readings of bits and pieces of Taiwanese media on the Internet, so excuse the incoherence. Argerich finally set foot on Taiwan, among much speculation of cancellation. She appeared to be in a great mood, even telling people that she had previously visited Taiwan (private visit) some 30 years ago with Charles Dutoit, who is an avid traveler. As she was quite tired from the recent Japanese tour, she headed straight to her hotel to catch some zzzz's "as much as she felt like" before she would rehearse the next day. Meanwhile, an accoustics expert was called in to adjust the hall acoustics. Two extra standing panels were installed on both far ends of the stage, the one already hovering above the stage was lowered. All panels had their angles adjusted for maximum projection. As it turned out, she was late for the rehearsal, making rumors fly again about a possible no-show. The hall had a Hamburg Steinway, which was brighter in tone. The National Concerto Hall, which couldn't house Argerich's recital, also sent in their New York Steinway, which had more tonal warmth.  Argerich couldn't decide which to take, so the Taiwanese agent and entourage served as dummy audience, sitting in various spots.  The NY Steinway was finally chosen for its "accessibility to audience,"  Argerich reportedly said. However, the capacity audience turned out to "suck in" the extra resonance needed. As a world-class performer, she quickly adjusted her playing to suit the hall acoustics.  Instead of increasing her volume, as various pianists had done before (often to the music's detriment), she lowered the volume in lyrical and slow passages and provided subtle dynamic and harmonic contrasts by her warm and flexible "touch". Everybody knew a legend was present when they heard her fast passages and coloristic effects. Incidentally, she interspersed a Chopin mazurka and a Scarlatti sonata (pieces usually reserved as encores) in the solo first-half, presumably as extra chances to warm to the accoustics. I have not read any in-depth critical coverage, but I'm sure they will be forthcoming.  As a subscriber to two Taiwanese classical magazines, I'll no doubt watch for further coverage and let you know. Ah, my lucky brother !  [who was in the audience] Also, Argerich had such a good time in Taipei (she was taken to the National Palace Museum on the 24th) that she verbally promised to play in a series of concerts in Taiwan in April immediately after the Argerich Festival in Beppu. She said she would play at least one solo recital (!!!!!!!!!). According to media, Argerich never tires of talking about young up-and-coming pianists. The media was astounded she knew all the promising young talents and their styles.  In fact, on her way back to Europe, she planned to stop by Japan again to hear some piano competition taking place there. (Presumably not as a jury member) - William Hsieh [ Later in the day, William writes GreatPianists@egroups.com the following ] ======= By William Hsieh ======= I finally found (slightly) more serious coverage on the recent Argerich recital in Taipei. Again, readers can access the original article in Chinese at: this news webpage ... I'm again offering my translation below. Again, the original paragraph structures are preserved. Enjoy,     William Hsieh ------- Translation by Wm. Hsieh ------- United Daily News Nov/25/2000 By: Chia-Dai Chen On Hearing Argerich:  Playing Taipei as the Big Piano That gigantic Steinway grand sang all night with Siren-like songs. Argerich ! Argerich ! This "heavy-weight" pianist, after millions of prayer and wishing, finally played. Indeed, her charisma was unparalleled. The Taiwanese fans rightfully fulfilled their musical dreams having heard and seen their idol in the flesh. The SYS Memorial Hall was filled with sighs of wonder and amazement. When I went throgh the "wall of time machine" in my mind, searching for the 1965 Chopin Competition winner, all the Schumann, Liszt, Ravel..and Chopin in the recordings pointed to an undeniably unique pianism in the 20th century. Argerich built her pianistic foundation in Buenos Aires, with no tradition behind her. The Leipzig, Vienna, Paris, Moscow schools of pianism have nothing to do with her. Free of baggage, she explores at will, her space and potential unlimited, thus fostering her greatness. Tonight I finally heard her. Her movements on the keyboard are as natural and precise as gymnastic feats, only that the yearning sparks in her youthful Chopin First Concerto have sublimed into autumnal tranquility and warmth. Argerich's pianism fits her persona, brilliantly liberating and alive with imagination, a far cry from most female pianists' docile reserve. Her tone is beautiful but full, evoking the vividness of oil paintings when she played Romantic repertoire. Before the Chopin Third Scherzo, her mazurka was delicately subdued and plaintive, almost like a prelude to the Scherzo, which was intense, passionate and fatefully resigned. The 7th Sonata, one of Prokofiev's War Sonatas, was 20th century avant-garde, with residual romanticism yet swaying on the verge of tonality. Argerich's precise, daring interpretation was exhilarating, especially the super-charged and soaring Finale, which ended triumphantly, aided by the piano's percussiveness. To Argerich steeped in Romantic and Modern repertoire, Bach was art and beyond art.  Her Second Partita was full-blown and on the brisk side. I think she was trying to get rid of excessive emotionality. Illumination seemed her sole interpretative idiom. Her Bach, in the various movements, was more horizonally inclined in harmonic intergration, giving off impressions of monophonic tendencies. The feebly phrased violin entry in the Kreutzer Sonata contrasted all the more with Argerich's superb piano playing. Yes, internally, Argerich transcended brilliance and matured into the core of Beethoven's pensiveness. But in the first movement, she surged so relentlessly that Gitlis could barely keep up. Swift to adapt, Argerich re-calibrated her volume to both compliment and sustain Gitlis. After the second movement, Argerich dug deeper and deeper into Beethoven's interpretive depth. Perfection in and out, fast or slow. Very touching. Gitlis gave a more decent performance in the Debussy sonata, assuming the lead from time to time to interact with the piano. Of the three encores, the Kreisler "Liebestod" was the most special. Gitlis was emotionally direct and genuine, making up slightly his disadvantage in technique. Argerich is no salon musician. She doesn't idle around (she cuts to the chase). Argerich does not thrive on willpower alone. Argerich lacks rigorous logical integration.     [Andrys says: I sure beg to differ strongly, of course. ] But it doesn't matter. Tonight, Argerich and the piano were one. Guided by her genius point of view, she filled the hall with blooming sound. In my eyes, under her ten fingers, tonight's Taipei seems to have become an amorphous giant piano. [ End of Chia-Dai Chen's United Daily News review translated by Hsieh ] In addition, William wrote a note to GreatPianists forum about the more social side of Argerich's visit. Certainly also of interest. Read on for William's news and his translation of the newspaper story: ======= From Hsieh's post to the forum ======== To: greatpianists@egroups.com From: "William Hsieh" Date sent: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 16:37:39 Subject: [Great Pianists] Argerich in Taipei (Initial Report) While America was happily chewing turkey, lucky Taiwanese audience was blissfully indulging in the ultimate musical feast: an Argerich recital in Taipei on Nov 23rd. Taiwan had never heard her in the flesh, but the long wait paid off handsomely. In addition to the official program: Bach: Second Partita Chopin: Third Scherzo Prokofiev: 7th Sonata ------- Beethoven: "Kreutzer" Sonata Debussy: Violin Sonata         (with violinist Gitlis) Argerich incorporated her two usual encores (a Chopin mazurka, a Scarlatti sonata) into the program. Plus she played FOUR solo encores !!! (I will post here as soon as I find out what the four are, but one is most likely to be the Ravel Jeau D'eau, which she played in Japan) I coaxed my brother, a college student in Taipei and who is no pianophile, to attend. He was able to procure a ticket for US$45 the mere night before the recital. (Far cry from the Carnegie ticket frenzy). Perhaps the Taiwanese public, burned twice by Argerich no-shows, was being overly cautious. However, with the Taiwanese president booking 30 tickets for friends and associates, all tickets were promptly snapped up by performance time. So, far, there has been a more gossipy/potpourri type of coverage in the Taiwanese media than serious reviews (as usual), but serious ones no doubt will emerge in the coming days/weeks/months. I will attempt to inform the folks on this e-group accordingly as I come across them. For those who can read traditional Chinese, go to this newspaper website for the entire article in The United Daily News (a Taiwanese paper) plus an Argerich photo taken at the National Palace Museum, which is a world-class musuem of Chinese arts. For those who need to rely on a translation, I'm happy to offer my version below. Please note that Chinese is an intricate language difficult to translate into any other languages, albeit for a native speaker like me. I have preserved the original paragraph structures, but will attempt to make the translation as faithful and idiomatic to English readers whenever possible. All parenthetical notes are mine, to aid readers unfamiliar with Taiwan. Enjoy,     William Hsieh ------- Translation by Hsieh ------- United Daily News By Chong-Liang Hei Argerich feasting on seafood, seeing museum, postponing her departure flight As an Olympian piano goddess, Argerich also has a genuinely approachable side. In real life, she is childlike, casual and friendly to all those around her. She even relishes exchanging musical gossip with her musician friends. Who can now call her "aloof" ? Argerich is truly free-wheeling. After twice canceling her previously scheduled performance in Taipei, now that she has set foot in Taiwan, she is curious about just everything Taiwanese, from cuisine to apparel, so much that she delayed her departure time. Right after her recital, she headed straight to Wha Shi Street (known for "live" seafood and snakes), where she sampled succulent seafood, which she found tasty and to her appetite. She basically stayed up all night chatting with friends in her hotel room, only napping for a few hours. Yesterday in her hotel, Argerich tasted authentic Chiang-su/Tze-Chiang (two Chinese provinces known for top cuisine) cuisine, just about every dish of which won the piano goddess's praise. Later in the afternoon, she finally got her chance to view Chinese arts in the National Palace Museum, which she had long craved to see. She was personally received by the museum curator. She only left Taiwan around 2pm after she had happily snapped up some traditional silk/golden Chinese robes for herself and her daughters at a Chinese designer's store. Argerich is a seasoned no-show performer on world stages, canceling at the slightest whim.  Long regarded as a pianist shrowded in mystery, Argerich has stringent pre-peformance requirements and would only perform when she deems herself in top shape. Due to a former "misconception" about Taiwan, she admitted to having experienced some fears at the onset of the recital, a fear generated by unfamiliarity with the venue. Once past the first piece, she was relieved.  Relaxed, she found herself on easy street as the recital progressed. With four consecutive encores plus the impromptu two additions (the mazurka + Scarlatti), Argerich played far more than a solo semi-recital to make up for the previously stood-up Taiwanese audience. After the recital, Argerich was riveted by the rapturous and enthusiastic audience reception, saying "the audience here is fantastic."  Stepping out of the hall, she saw a group of die-hard fans waiting painstakingly for her autographs. Originally disinclined to sign, Argerich was softened by the almost teary faces of the earnest fans and proceeded to honor all autograph requests with the help of a single flashlight. Instead of picking on an alleged hot temper, one would rather say that Argerich is simply straightforward and sensitive, always seeking perfection. To ensure the success of a recital, she would sooner cancel it than allow her health, mood or other personal factors to interfere with the quality of the recital, thus preserving an image of performance perfection in the minds of her fans. [ End of Chong-Liang Hei's United Daily News story translated by Hsieh ] PS. Photo caption translation:   The world-class virtuoso Argerich finally got to view the priceless treasure in the National Palace Museum. Later William adds this note which confirms stories of Argerich's encouragement of young pianists: === From Hsieh === There is a photo of Argerich with her "pupil", who is now a pianist teaching in Taiwan. [ Andrys note: The photo is at the top of this page.] The gist of the article is that when this "pupil" was studying at the Vienna Conservatory, she was introduced to Argerich through a mutual friend. Afterwards, she frequented Argerich's home in Brussels and received a few years of coaching.  Argerich never charged her a penny. She was among the audience at the Taipei recital and waited a long time to see Argerich afterwards.  Argerich recognized her right away, gave her a hug and started to chat with her. - End of reports translated by William Hsieh