Martha Argerich playing Prokofiev Toccata op.11 (good quality)

WDR recording

[@wuwupiano]

It's probably just jealously talking but there's something really unsettling about watching such macabre and tense music played so effortlessly.

[@gerontius34]

Not only 'unsettling', but down right spooky.

[@atalantak9205]

My thoughts exactly.

[@laurentbarre7887]

Effortlesy ? Its just you were'nt there when she had produced so much efforts to learn this piece of art during hours, days, weeks, month....

[@alanpotter8680]

@@gerontius34 Malofeev takes the piece to another level. He actually is enjoying playing it.. that grin of his..

[@jamesrobert4106]

​@alanpotter8680 To be that extraordinary at his age is mind boggling.

[@gabrielmandelas5527]

She plays what technically seems impossible so effortlessly.

[@japphan]

She really brings out what I think is the essence of the composition, the monotony amidst chaos, emotional but distanced. Lovely.

[@richardvolpe7664]

Emotion, in THIS piece?

[@valkhorn]

@@richardvolpe7664yes. Are you deaf? There’s tons of expression.

[@coulton-davisjazz2872]

She is a wonder of the world, a force of nature. A virtuoso from the get-go. Sheesh. Still got it in her 80s too. What an artist!

[@marshallartz395]

‘Astonishing’ doesn’t begin to describe how great her performance is! 😎🎹

[@davidphillips3925]

Martha's playing is always about the music, not about Martha. That's why she's a winner!

[@naiadeforta]

"You can't stop an avalanche rolling down that hill"

[@thomasthompson6378]

Positively astonishing. I think Prokofiev himself would be absolutely amazed.

[@richardvolpe7664]

Even more flabbergasted if he heard Haochen Zhang or Yuja Wang.

[@rigel48]

@@richardvolpe7664 They are good but not better.

[@hyweldavid3661]

Wowsers. What a marvel, Charles. Thanks so much, Hywel x

[@jeffaldridge4051]

Contrast this with her Scarbo and her genius is undeniable. What a treasure her art is.

[@cecilgriffiths6399]

🤩! Like a rock concert!! Amazing!! 🙏🎹🙌😍

[@imperius5417]

This is gold thanks for uploading it

[@therainforest4314]

I absolutely love her complete mastery of right and left-hand dynamic reciprocal communications on the keyboard. Brilliant delivery. :)

[@TheIpazia1]

Grazie mille per la condivisione davvero straordinaria Martha Argerich💥❤️

[@darylchang6756]

Amazing!! Thank you for uploading this!

[@DJTomOke]

I just love it when it goes back to the initial figure at 3.31. Makes my hairs stand up every time. So powerful

[@jeffaldridge4051]

Can never listen to her enough’

[@ScaramouchedaVinci]

I used to be bursting with exaggerated self-confidence and thought, given enough time, I could play anything. If somebody had shown me Prokofiev's Toccata, I would have clearly felt my limitations even then and said, that I would need several lifetimes, to be able to do this. What makes Agerich so extraordinary here, the difficulty of overcoming it, is not her concern, but rather the musical language, the melody in between.

[@j.s.42822]

Out of curiosity, what could you play when you held that belief?

[@ScaramouchedaVinci]

@@j.s.42822 Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, Op.10, for example.

[@j.s.42822]

​@@ScaramouchedaVinci I suppose that's pretty far off, but not ridiculously so, I think? I'm currently at a slightly higher level, and I can give or take this Toccata, but I'd like to play Ondine sometime in the next few years. We'll see how that goes🙂

[@kondsiccMusic]

@@j.s.42822 Goodluck with the Ondine. Its so hard getting the opening right cus of the pianissimo and the repeated notes.

[@j.s.42822]

@@kondsiccMusic It is. I try just the opening sometimes to see how far I have to go. Still pretty far!😄But I'm getting closer. I used to test myself similarly with the opening of Rachmaninoff's Op. 39 No. 1, and that one is actually not difficult at all for me now.

[@banana_GGG]

great performance

[@gerontius34]

Father forgive us, we are not worthy of such magnitude.

[@gerardosanchez9205]

Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing

[@Scullery_Denizen]

Thank you for posting this. Awesome.

[@williambunter3311]

Amazing music played by the amazing Martha. Only one reservation to make about this video; this is a piece of extraordinary technical virtuosity throughout. So why was the camera ever taken off her awesome hands, even for a moment? Video producers sometimes seem to forget the purpose of videos, and fail to appreciate that much of the piano-lover's pleasure is visual as well as auditory. Just watch any group of people gathered round the piano in everyday life. None of them look anywhere but at the pianist's hands.

[@jocelynemiloradovic2767]

Magnifique !!! Merci !!!

[@danielhughes441]

Her gifts are the most monstrously beautiful! She is a demigoddess!

[@cateyaboytes.]

Just fantastic, and in.credible

[@renelicht]

Unbelievable!

[@eateeharris4503]

I believe it. I just watched it for the 2nd time to be sure to be sure.

[@valkhorn]

I gotta say between her performance and Yujas, Martha’s is more musical and expressive. Which is no easy task considering this composition.

[@eyevon6387]

Yessss, at times when yuja was playing it felt like she was just playing the notes and I could baerly hear the actual melody

[@valkhorn]

@@eyevon6387 disagree. Yuja is still extremely expressive with it you have to listen a bit more carefully but it is there. Argerich just does more.

[@jamesrobert4106]

The greatest pianist ever is a subjective, ridiculous, unanswerable notion. But if it was answerable, Martha Agerich would win a lot of the votes.

[@cjcrichton8482]

So heavy💗

[@BWV846]

Yes, that’s right... Martha is definitely Martha.

[@ludmilapopova3080]

Bravo 👏

[@fibrofrecuencia]

Todos estamos enamorados de ella

[@admuchon]

Maravilhoso

[@hector67000]

Amaizing! She stands out from other pianists as always.

[@alanpotter8680]

I get the feeling Malofeev took a lot of notes from her performance. Pun not intended.

[@fabriciovalvasori1121]

Copado!

[@Anna-js5lj]

❤

[@thibomeurkens2296]

Incredible thank you! What dvd is this from originally?

[@josephhapp9]

🌹🙏🌹

[@daniels7052]

Was this recorded in 1965?

[@petergolding5733]

I think it was March 16 1960 in Hamburg but I may be wrong

[@cgnotes]

4:07 true argerich fashion 😭

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

I'm mad about her. All the comments below times infinity. Wow!

[@thomosramm7336]

My teacher just recommended I do play this for a competition yesterday :) (the maximum length is 5 minutes which is cringe but this is a great piece and 4th legit gets $1k)

[@MichelTretout]

After that....... No comment.

[@ooover638]

Michael Jackson would have wanted to dance when he heard this performance🤠 and I hear Martha is his fan

[@ghamoz]

Oltre i limiti dell'umano

[@mobilephil244]

The only competitor to this performance would be Horowitz.

[@LiquidTurbo]

I’m not afraid to admit. I have a crush on Martha. Bravo. Such skill on such a difficult piece!

[@daniel27939]

She doesn't look like that now, dude... Then again, I have a crush on Elizabeth Montgomery, who died many years ago.

[@LiquidTurbo]

@@daniel27939 I’m well aware. Lol. It’s possible to appreciate someone for that particular moment in time..

[@daniel27939]

@@LiquidTurbo Well put. I agree that it is possible. Interesting concept.

[@none5020]

You guys are both weird people who need to go out more.

[@user-jj8kg5ef2t]

Do you mean there is a bad quality Martha performance of Prokofiev Toccata?

[@jonathanstupidcheesespaghetti]

It's referring to the video quality, not her performance quality.

[@jeffaldridge4051]

Great joke😂. I got it….

[@POUSSIEREDECURIOSITE]

Étrange, ce que l'être non disposé musicalement que je suis perçoit, en différence des commentaires plus avisés participant d'une dissection de l'oeuvre. Car l'écoute qui m'accompagne tout au long du chemin très accentué de l'oeuvre et loin de toutes sensations d'un quelconque obscur, y perçoit comme une flamboyante rythmique . Et le piano ne s'y trompe pas en imprimant à chaque note si incisive, sa résultante sonore.

[@alainspiteri502]

Of course the young Argerich erea 70 '-80 and aftee : Argerich with orchestras , stop solo piano : j hope not the same career for Yunga Wang !

[@richardvolpe7664]

What's that you're saying?

[@rigel48]

@@richardvolpe7664 I think he regrets that Martha Argerich stopped playing solo too early in her career.

[@fabgourmet]

Jesus H Christ!

[@richardvolpe7664]

Now what in hell is that supposed to mean? Is it a criticism, or did you spill your beer on the sofa?

[@bananabig8839]

yujia wong's is also amazing

[@andyanderson9824]

Good. Still Yuja in front, I would say.

[@jamesrobert4106]

I think I agree. Yuja makes it incredibly sharp and clean in its delivery. Nobody can say what the definitive version should be, but her performance was extraordinary.

[@rigel48]

Yuja Wang is technically as good, but a little too much mechanical.

[@idesof]

Gilels is infinitely superior in this piece, so much more musical.

[@richardvolpe7664]

What the heck do you mean - - "musical?" If there existed some expressive, melodic phrases in these pages (there aren't any, by the way), I'd understand, more or less, where you're coming from. But this is essentially a mechanical kind of style; we're not talking 'Chopin nocturne' here.

[@No_One_In_Particular_Today]

Sure, Martha nailed it, but listen to Yuja - much more interesting and clean.

[@rigel48]

"much more interesting"? in what way? They are both brilliante and I do not see why one should be more insteresting than the other.

[@jamesrobert4106]

I think both versions are incredible. Yuja plays it in a manner that seems to more capture the sharp madness within the piece.