Exhausted Argerich annuls Lucerne Festival
NewsWorn out after her exertions in Buenos Aires, Martha Argerich has withdrawn from next Tuesday’s Lucerne Festival concert with Daniel Barenboim and the West-East Diwan Orchestra.
Argerich, 82, was to have played the first Beethoven concerto, her regular standby work.
Igor Levit will deputise.
The festival has posted a brief notice on the booking page: The pianist Martha Argerich has unfortunately had to cancel her appearance at Lucerne Festival due to illness. In her place, Igor Levit will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major next Tuesday, 15 August, in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s concert conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
After doing three consecutive festivals which (Tokyo, Hamburg and Buenos Aires) all of which bear her name…and doing all of this at the age of 82…can you blame her? On the last concert at the Teatro Colón in the curtain calls she really did look tired.
In that festival the last three works she played were less familiar or in her system than her usual repertoire – Shostakovich concerto 1 she has not played in around 5 years, Stravinsky Les Noces maybe more than 10 years and the Beethoven Choral is a new piece she has performed only a few times… bringing all of this back in such succession at her age is well… that’s the magic of Martha Argerich – she cannot be explained!
Martha Argerich played Shostakovich concerto 1 in Prague in September 2022, and in September 2021 in Italy twice.
She is scheduled to play it as well this year (in September in Rotterdam) and in February 2024 in Switzerland (three performances)
She cancelled August 12 as well (Köln).
Makes me laugh that you refer to the Beethoven Choral Fantasy as a ‘new’ piece – it might be La Argerich, but it’s been around since 1808…. plenty of time for her to learn it. It’s relatively simple, so should not have taxed her overly.
Sometimes it is NOT the musical content of a piece, but its physical requirements which makes it an exhausting play. I am not a pianist, but have accompanied a great number of its performances, and can testify that it sometimes taxes players half Martha Argerich’s age.
New piece in her repertoire which she appears to have performed for the first time at Seiji Ozawa’s 80th birthday concert in 2016… and I believe only twice afterwards..I make you laugh because you are ignorant.
Also to add to my comment, Martha normally tests out her repertoire she has not played in a while at a smaller venue before playing the more “important” concerts, it appears this could not be the case in all this repertoire, also with the Dichterliebe in Hamburg.
Honestly, it amazes me that at a time of life when most professionals are dialing back that Ms. Agerich continues to perform at the intensity that she does. Brava, take a rest ma’am you deserve it!!!!!!
It says she canceled due to illness. Do you have additional information that enables you to make the claim that she was “worn out” after the festival? Or is this just speculation on your behalf? Just curious.
Thank you M. Argerich. I planned to fly from California next week to hear you perform in Lucerne. It would have been my first time to see you in person. I am sad and disappointed. More importantly, I am grateful for your tour and wish you relaxation now. Brava. Kathanne in California
I have a ticket for the Lucerne concert. It was for Argerich, of course, but also for her partnership with Barenboim. I hope they don’t cancel Beethoven 2 in Berlin later this year. It is the only concerto in her present repertory that I was unable to listen to live. I already tried four times but her ill-health or COVID blocked this. Luckily, Lucerne managed to get Levit, who gave a superb recital in Salzburg lat week.
May I ask you if she performed any Scriabin Sonata in her life ?
Some people think that she did it in Beppu and Edinburgh many years ago….
She always gets very good stand ins. Cadaques 1984 – Ivo Pogorelich was the hot ticket in London and had just recorded Ravel and Prokofiev which he played.