Another superb live recording from the 2006 Lugano Festival put on by Ms. Argerich. All three Shostakovich works are given rich and exciting interpretations that make competing recordings sound rather colorless to my ears – at least with regards to the first two works. The piano concerto was one of the first of his compositions introduced after the composer decided to pursue composing more solidly and to confine his concert appearances to performing only his own music. The composer’s experience accompanying silent films on the piano influenced some of his wild changes of style and elements of parody in the outer movements of his concerto.
The Piano Quintet of 1940 is in an animated and often intense neo-classic style. In five movements, the central short and sarcastic Scherzo has a strongly percussive piano part and catchy rhythm that long been one of my favorite Shostakovich excerpts. No other recordings I’ve auditioned equal the dramatic excitement of this one – perhaps because I believe the others are studio recordings rather than live. This fine CD is another piece of evidence supporting my dictum that you cannot go wrong with any recording involving Martha Argerich.
– John Sunier
