Any room left on Martha’s mantel?

Any room left on Martha’s mantel?

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norman lebrecht

February 13, 2019

The Vienna Konzerthaus has just granted Martha Argerich honorary membership.

Die Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft hat die Pianistin Martha Argerich zu ihrem Ehrenmitglied berufen.

For whose benefit?

Maybe she’ll decline.

 

 

Comments

  • Caravaggio says:

    For what, for cancelling? Another symptom of a dying industry in abject despair, incapable of getting past a cadre of predictables: Argerich, Mutter, Muti, Domingo, et.al. Let’s lavish them repeatedly with recognition, awards and money they don’t need and haven’t earned let alone merit any longer.

    • Psychiatrist says:

      Are you sure it isn’t you who is in abject despair. You are certainly predictable. I’ve heard M. A. just four times. She turned up and played wonderfully.

    • Bruce says:

      I would disagree with the “haven’t earned/ no longer merit” part.

      More and more, these look like “lifetime achievement awards” given by the movie and music industries: you were great for a long time (sometimes they still are — Mutter is hardly “over the hill,” and plenty of conductors and pianists do wonderful work in their old age — e.g. Haitink, Blomstedt), and we love you (probably because you heightened the industry’s visibility and made us a lot of money), so here’s a thank-you present. In terms of need, it’s kind of like giving Catherine Deneuve another hand mirror; but it’s a nice gesture.

    • Ms.Melody says:

      Please explain to me what is wrong about honoring a great musician? Because, this is Martha Argerich is and so is Muti. Learn to live with it. Domingo ,unfortunately, is destroying his own legend. I haven’t heard Mutter for some time, so will reserve the comment

  • Petros Linardos says:

    Whose benefit? Easy to argue either way. No shortlist of greatest living is complete without Argerich. Most of the honorary members of the Vienna Konzerthausgesellschaft are easily recognizable top names. From Richard Strauss and Wilhelm Furtwangler and Wilhelm Backhaus to Andras Schiff and Gidon Kremer and Grigory Sokoloff.
    https://konzerthaus.at/ehrenmitglieder

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