Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 1 - Mov I (Martha Argerich)

[agreatguy6]

Martha Argerich is probably one of my favorite performers. She always looks as great as she sounds :] and she has such awesome hair too lol.

LOVE this concerto.

[iHeartFerenc]

Everytime I hear this I feel like I just survived a hurricane in a canoe

[PIAN0PLAYER5]

I AM MARTHA ARGERICH. I AM RUSSIAN AND I'LL CRUSH YOU WITH SUPER POWER HANDS OF MINE. hahaha. just kidding. gotta love her.

[opusyte]

@PIAN0PLAYER5 ...She is Argentine.. but yes she probably would

[elgar34]

Go Martha! You have this wonderful concerto nailed. I have never heard it better played.

[Flutist11]

The Piano was Prokofiev's choice instrument for personal expression. If you want to hear his most personal music, it's all there.  ALL his piano music is so wonderful, so many brilliant ideas, it's mind blowing. It's like looking into his soul.

[silverdalesapphires]

Not bad for a degree composition for a music student. (Prokofiev) ..and then to demand to play it yourself at its first performance. Good job Glazunov could see the guy's talent. Martha plays it a little slower than I'm used to but hell...what a technique!!!!

[clairannette]

Good lord... Martha. I just giggle when she plays. It's like... how does she make it look so impossibly simple, yet make it sound so incredibly impossible? And she barely breaks a sweat. :-/

[JimmyGr90]

wonderful bright music by prokofiev

[wingingerd]

3番が人気あるけれど、私はこの1番が好きだ。

[runupahill1]

Of all the versions I've heard on YouTube, which includes Richter, Kissen, which doesn't display the complete Ashkenazy version, Martha's is the only one with the right propulsion, the right energy, the adequate momentum to move me the way Prokofiev wanted us to move. The orchestra just isn't up to the spacial needs of the ethereal moments.

[markopianist]

it has some similarity with mvt 3

[joboy1992jesto]

yea it does

its basically a big one mvt piece that has the same theme occurrin 3x (1 in each section)

[chad410]

I played this without orchestra but no.3 with orchesra. but not like this

[oelte]

I like singing Chante Neol to the first theme

[pianiss]

aagghh i'm gonna play this concerto this year..<3

[Vlessgorian]

Martha Argerich is one of the most wonderful musicians i've ever seen. Her ideas about music are extremely deep. Her playing absolutely demonstrates this.

[darnott44]

Her hands are friggin' huge...and sure.

[silverbud]

Amazing that quite some russian composers dared and managed to create music against the wishes of the powerful communist nomenclatura. That is true also for many writers.

True heroic russians.

[DustinGuitar]

ahhh damn! i accidentally pressed thumbs down./...:(

im in total agreement with you!

so inspiring

[cochleatopic]

actually this piece is pre-soviet, but i agree that it is excellent.

[buffuzo]

My cat Molotov and I are going out now for some donuts if we can find them. Tim Horton's are the best, but they are not available here. So I will make do with some other kind. Molotov is a former Soviet cat, he still retains many communist tendencies, and I do think he probably still is a communist. I say this by the way he acts around the house. He does enjoy Russian composers, particularly Prokofiev and Shostakovich. He liked this video, at least I interpret him in that manner.

[Eradicator00987]

I hope that Molotov enjoyed this performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #1. I'm sure if Martha was playing to impress anybody that night it would have been for Molotov.

[pookiehohn]

I remember you! You're the one with the egalitarian cat. I've always enjoyed reading your comments.

[raincatw]

@buffuzo

my cat has formal music training in Peabody student's housing.

And he loves Argerich the most!

[bluecobalt27]

Wow, I must have listened to this piece a dozen times, but I have never watched it being played before. It's fascinating to see the pianist at work; you can really see how technically challenging a work it is.

My favorite aspect of this piece is the way that, having simply followed the main theme at the beginning, in the recapitulation at the end, the piano opens up and plays an amazing series of notes, creating that bitter-sweet orchestral texture unique to Prokofiev.

[pljms]

Such thrilling music. Prokofiev is in a class of his own as far as I'm concerned.

[124bjw]

I love Prokofiev--his music is disturbing, ominous, turbulent, sinister--it deserves to be in the background of most Hitchcock movies--I love Hitchcock too.

[bluecobalt27]

Yes, a very good description; but for all its haunting moments, it is to me also full of lyrical passages of great beauty. Prokofiev has this incredible ability to eke out melodies against the grain where you would not think it possible, and the melodies themselves are tremendously fragile, prone to dissolving suddenly with an unexpected interval or an orchestral volte-face.

[124bjw]

I'm sure that you are correct. I'm a novice when it comes to classical music. I love this guy--it's electrifying and he mesmerizes me. I like all the Russians--Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev--I also like Martha Argerich. If you received my other e-mail, disregard the comment about the 1st concerto--I thought it was a different piece that Martha Argerich was playing. Thank you for your comment.

[vibraharp226]

An excellent description. I love how you describe the melodies as "fragile." or ephemeral. Lt. Kije comes to mind, especially the trumpets from off-stage (birth of Kije).

[miliona1re]

the queen of piano at work

[tmntt]

Holy shit

[madgamer23]

Why is it that Argerich always plays at impressive but inappropriate speeds? For my taste, anyway.

[silverdalesapphires]

I love Argerich but she seems to be holding back the conductor on the Introduction, compared with other Prof 1's I've heard. She usually just "goes for it"......her technique is awesome!!

[filippinijazz]

right... she has her tempo in mind... maybe because they didn't have rehearsal... anyway she's great

[Boriska2008]

Bravo!!!

[filippinijazz]

Brava... she's female! ;-)

[mestreliszt]

well I think that she is better when she was young

[flic71]

che suono fantastico...... La amo!!!

[filippinijazz]

ehi... anche io la amo! sono geloso! ;-)

[MrJoaomenegaz]

beleza perfeicao e força neste 1 mov Martha como sempre a melhor

[flic71]

questa donna è spettacolare, fantasmagorica, irraggiungibile.......

l'inizio del concerto poi è superbo!!!

[filippinijazz]

è la n.1

[superhao69]

OMG

[iysum]

Martha Argerich is awesome. She really brings her personal experience into the performance.  She is simply very unique and wonderful.

[thomasragz]

I never really understood appreciating a piece of music for its technicality. Chopin concertos for example, are beautiful piano showcases, with a disturbing lack of fcility in writing parts for strings. they play no part in any sort of development.

[brandon71085]

You have to consider (In Chopin's case) that his concerto's were written early on in his compositional development. Most everyone would agree with your view of them. They are a sort of conundrum of the repertoire.

Try understanding the appreciation of a piece for its technicality in terms of it's masterful construction, not just how quickly the fingers are required to move on the keyboard. Which is exactly the case with Prokofiev's Piano concerto's (perhaps with the exception of his fourth).

[holamen12]

I'm complete surprised because of the technique, but I don't think is it a really good sound piece. Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto is much better technically, if we are refering with this point of comparing

[Haeronthegreat]

The tchaik 1st concerto is the most terribly structured piece ever.

[SickForest]

Tchaikovsky wrote Swan Lake, Prokofiev for Romeo & Juliet... If I could have the talent and what they got for write this no-words-to-describe- music, I´ll write for Aquiles & Patroclo je, since I´m homosexual, but in anycase that´s not the point, Amazing performance, you know, I do physical exercise with it and it´s great (sorry my bad english) to hear it and to fake I´m the pianist during the concerto, :).

[meriadocbrandebouc]

lol ! I do exactly the same thing ! Well actually, I jump on my bed while hearing this or any other Prokofiev concerto and I do as if I was the Pianist..... Strange, I thought I was the only one doing this kind of strange things...

[777cc777]

welcome to the world of 'air-piano' my friends

[KevinR3i]

wah nice !!!

I love russian composer as like

Rachmaninoff ,tchaikovsky and prokofiev

[werewethere]

Not to nitpick, but technically Prokofiev is from Ukraine (although he did train in St. Petersburg). I do agree, they all wrote great music.

[777cc777]

It was Russia at the time

[werewethere]

Part of the Russian empire at the time, true, but culturally Ukraine.

[davidbaker03]

is this more difficult than Prokofiev's 2nd concerto.. i hear the 2nd is the most difficult, but looking at the music for both, and having done some sight reading it seems this one is more difficult? anyone have an opinion?

[somedudeplayingpiano]

I heard that it was the second, yundi lee said in one of his intervieuws that the second consert was the most difficult consert he ever had played

[Hervinbalfour]

I think the 5th is the hardest. It's a shame that it doesn't get more play.

[afertyus1000]

the 2nd is more strenuous but both call for different techniques so it is hard to separate them on purely technical grounds of difficulty

[werewethere]

Funny, I always have been told that #3 is the hardest. Then again, none of them are easy.

[kyleclef]

nah, not sure i can agree, i'm learning the 3rd, but i wouldn't dream off attempting the second, plus no. 3 is much better, :)

[MicTheMailman]

Simply splended thanks for posting!

[mathpianist93]

One can clearly see how Prokofiev won a competition at his conservatory for writing this piece.

[willwuu]

a little fast but thats what keeps the adrenalin!

[mathpianist93]

you prefer a more broad tempo?

[Kalen1457]

I like the weird stuff of prokofiev:)

[AzulEsperanza]

This is my all-time favorite concerto movement. I love it. I just love it. I love anything by Prokofiev, and this piece brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it.

Thank you for posting it!

[upka619]

She is made of steel!!!

[fabio0077]

She's made of something that we, normal humans, can't define!

[fabio0077]

sorry "us"

[DPinFL]

I found that truly amazing!!!! Thanks for posting it.

[Pianist54d]

I LOVE MARTHA.....platonically of course, she's so amazing.

[Timmytimtimtm]

i love her more...

[gc65531941]

non-platonically, for me, of course...

[marcparella]

I always thought this concerto would make a great opening to a film.

[nikki0019]

I would like to meet you someday,Ms. Argerich!!!

[beaver7756]

how can she have so much energy! OMG!

[marwan280]

omg it's so O_o magnifique

[turtlesturtles2]

whats that on the side of the conducters head?

[turtlesturtles2]

oh nevermind

[clairannette]

Alexander always wears a hairclip to hold his hair back.... or at least he did the last time I performed with him. Amazing musician ... amazing pianist...

[turtlesturtles2]

oh ok thx

[turtlesturtles2]

pause at 0:55 its kind of weird

[clairannette]

yep... that's it... greying hair combined with his trademark hair clip... haha.

[tlanigan]

wow, she plays so accccccurately at such a fast tempo..

[no1canstopme93]

WOW.

can her technique get any better?

shes godly...

[domkim1986]

SHE IS MY IDOL!!!!! I LUV YOU MARTHA!

[TruBlu509]

Such control at that speed...seems almost impossible! Her fingering is perfect, especially on the repeated note sections. Definitely worth trying for those attempting this piece. (who better to follow anyway, ya?)

[cattleman6420012000]

This is fantastic and remember it is a live performance. Andrei Gavrilov did a fantastic early recording of this with Sir Simon Rattle in the 1970s.

[Anders039]

Godlike technique

[anfalagu]

bravo

[atralfalgar]

amazing ! 5 stars !

[Chopinm4n]

what an unbecoming concert venue for one of the best pianists

[fsugue]

Martha Argerich is an electric and stunning force. Prokofiev's music has a wonderful, yet peculiar quality, as if extremely vivid dreams were translated into music. Well anyways, perfect combination!

[afertyus1000]

she seems to beat the berezovskys horowitzes luganskys volodoses to pulp,not sure about hamelin though

[TadayukionComposing]

This is superb!

[lecheenpolvo]

Qué bien que toca esta señora. Pensar que fué compañera de conservatorio de mi madre.

[arthurcrescendo]

Great conduction Maestro Rabinovitch.

[jepy82]

Umbeliveble !!!!!!1111

I plaeyd that concerto and i think Beroff's recording was best. But Martha win!!!!!!!

[ArturoAlejandroS]

This is very similar to Tchaikovksy piano concerto nº1.

The begining, the develop,but in modern stlye.Hear after that the first movment of Tchaikovsky piano concerto 1.

And both in D flat major(Tchaikovsky piano concerto 1 is in B flat minor, but begins with relative key of D flar major).

Great performance, very very good!

[pljms]

Great to see and hear. Martha Argerich is a natural when it comes to Prokofiev and it's a pity that she's never got round to playing the 2nd concerto. Her recording of Prokofiev's 3rd has to be the greatest I've heard.