Video: Martha Argerich is hot as a rock star

Video: Martha Argerich is hot as a rock star

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norman lebrecht

July 15, 2015

The Argentine comedian Peter Capusotto has produced a little sketch about the word-of-mouth hysteria surrounding the great pianist when she comes to pay on native soil.

Argerich is due to play the new 116,000 square metre Centro Cultural Nestor Kirchner, three times the size of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. She’ll need mucho word of mouth to fill it.

barenboim argerich2

Comments

  • Alvaro Mendizabal says:

    If Barenboim gathered more people than the waldbuhne for a concert in the obelisco of Bs.As, closing the worlds widest street for an evening – She should have no problem.

    Also, I think the words Rock Star and Argerich do not belong in the same sentence. Its tremendously sad that modern society has to associate mass appeal to the particular music style of rock. That in itself is demeaning to the art, assuming classical/jazz/other types of music cannot amass such crowds.

    • V.Lind says:

      Yeah — well — they can’t. Maybe once in a blue moon — the Three Tenors, some other one-off — but rock fills stadia around the world night after night while great orchestras and great classical artists struggle to fill concert halls.

      Canada’s national sport is lacrosse. Bu it is the Leafs and the Canadiens that sell out arenas..

    • Jay says:

      Rock star means she is very very popular. Her GENEIUS speaks for itself. Cut the PC crap. She is the greatest and her popularity warrants the accolades of a rock star.

  • JohnDave says:

    Martha may not be a ‘rock star’ but she is a fantastic musician. I love her work!

  • Patrick says:

    The Ballena Azul, where she will perform, seats 1750 persons. She’ll have no problem filling it. Besides, the concerts are being advertised, just like they do in Europe and the US! I doubt word-of-mouth is a factor.

  • Ed says:

    Hmm.. V.Lind – have you ever tried getting a ticket for Argerich and Barenboim in concert? They could have sold out London’s Royal Festival Hall many many times over when they came here earlier in the year. YoYo Ma and his single cello has sold out the Royal Albert Hall (sadly I don’t have a ticket) for his BBC Prom this summer.. Jonas Kaufmann regularly sells out whole strings of evenings at the Royal Opera House.. etc. etc. etc.

    • V.Lind says:

      Not denying the drawing power of Argerich (or Barenboim or many others) — I was just responding to the last point in Alvaro Mendizabal’s original post. Rock plays vast venues and sells out for month, not nights, on end. Just the way of the world.

      And I might add that, having been to Buenos Aires, and to artistic events there, I would not doubt that Martha Argerich can fill a large venue — it is a vastly cultured city, and a big one, and is within commuting distance of Montevideo, which has a certain cultural community as well.

  • Theodore McGuiver says:

    Fun video.

  • Ed says:

    All the concerts at La Ballena Azul are free.

    • V.Lind says:

      And 1750 seats? That’s nothing over here — over 2000 seats is standard. What makes this massive — surrounding corridors or grounds? Utterly irrelevant and yet another misleading story from the source.

      • Deb says:

        I think the size mentioned was referring to the fact that Centro Cultural Nestor Kirchner is 116,000 square metres – three times the Centre Pompidou – with many floors of gallery space, the new symphonic hall and another smaller concert hall with stunning roof garden. It’s not the largest of Buenos Aires concert halls, but all concerts are free as the building is under the auspices of National government, and there will be no problem filling this or the many other planned concerts. Apparently the website for ticket bookings completely crashed under the weight of demand for Argerich’s concert. So the somewhat tongue in cheek video (based on the rock phenomena of Indio Solari who fills stadiums without any advertising) has some truth to it!
        https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.954303271300875.1073742128.115689108495633

      • Patrick says:

        The CCK is a pretty amazing place, regardless of one’s politics. (The name Kirchner tends to polarize. Imagine, for example, the mixed reactions to a “George W. Bush Center for the Arts”) Still a work in progress, it is a complete renovation and repurposing of the old main post office, and represents a tremendous committment to the arts in Buenos Aires. Yes, the entire building is huge (and beautifully restored and remodeled), but there’s much more there than just music performance. The new hall, the Ballena Azul, as they call it, is quite nice –and very interesting, especially viewed from the “outside” (which is actually inside…go see, you’ll understand). Find photos online. It’s worth international attention.

  • Rgiarola says:

    Martha en Perro infierno (Hell’s dog). Very funny esta broma

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