Martha Argerich plays Tel Aviv in jeans

From our special correspondent, Dan Yakir:

Yesterday at 11:00pm Martha Argerich (young at 81) stepped on the stage of the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv to perform Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 3 with the Israel Philharmonic and their music director Lahav Shani. They were both dressed in jeans as it was the season opening concert of the Jeans subscription series on Thursday nights aimed mainly at the younger generation. Each concert is preceded by a free beer and a jazz performance at the lobby of the hall.

And today at 11am she was back for the same program but this time with a skirt. It was the season opening concert of the Intermezzo subscription series on Friday mornings aimed mainly at the older generation. Each concert is preceded by free coffee and cake and a preconcert talk.

Both concerts were sold out and the audience demanded an encore after dazzling performances. Martha and Lahav played an arrangement for four hands by György Kurtág of Gottes Zeit die allerbeste Zeit from cantata BWV 106 (Actus Tragicus) by Bach.

The first half of the concerts included the Magnificat by Bach. It marked both the debut of the mezzo Bernarda Fink with the IPO as well as her farewell concerts in 1967.