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The Complete Duo Recordings [13 CD Box Set]
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About The Complete Duo Recordings [13 CD Box
Product Description Although Argerich has participated in numerous musical partnerships, not to mention her longtime mentoring of young artists, her associations with violinist Gidon Kremer and cellist Mischa Maisky are surely among the pianist's most substantial and musically rewarding collaborations. The present collection includes all of the Argerich/Kremer and Argerich/Maisky duo recordings for Deutsche Grammophon as originally released and in chronological order, allowing listeners the opportunity to trace each duo's evolution in terms of artistic rapport, sensitivity, risk-taking and the fine tuning of nuance. Any discussion of Beethoven's violin sonatas (CDs 1, 4, 9 & 10) must address the fact that the composer did not designate these works as being "for violin and piano". For example, the first published edition of the "Spring" Sonata op. 24 from October 1801 reads "Sonate pour le Piano Forte," in large letters, followed in smaller print by "avec un Violon." Similarly, the title-page of the first edition of the "Kreutzer" Sonata op. 47 from April 1805 reads "Sonata per il Piano-forte ed un Violino obligato." None of this should be taken to mean that the violin writing plays "second fiddle" to the piano part, so to speak, but rather that both instruments carry equal weight within the musical discourse. Argerich and Kremer understood this from the start of their recorded Beethoven encounters, originally intended as part of a series encompassing all the violin sonatas, the music for cello and piano with Maisky, plus the five piano concerti with Giuseppe Sinopoli and the Philharmonia Orchestra (in the end, Argerich and Sinopoli recorded only the First and Second Concertos). Initially Argerich expressed apprehension about recording Beethoven, lest her readings might sound self-conscious under the microphone's objective, unforgiving scrutiny. Yet, during an interview conducted prior to the cycle's final sessions, both Argerich and Kremer spoke of using the recording process to look for the unexpected. "It was an inspired idea to match (Argerich) against a violinist so unpredictable as she is herself," wrote Edward Greenfield in Gramophone, "for though there is nothing `safe' about these interpretations, and not everyone will respond to their sparkling, volatile qualities, the liveness of the experience is undeniable." From the Artist One wonders if Robert Schumann drew inspiration from Beethoven's violin sonatas while writing his own works in the genre (CD 3); surely the parallels between Schumann's Op. 105 in A minor and Beethoven's Op. 23 in A minor and the similar breadth and seriousness of purpose uniting Schumann's Op. 121 in D minor with Beethoven's Op. 30 no. 2 in C minor are more than coincidental. Although there are commercial recordings from concerts that feature Argerich partnering different violinists in Schumann's two sonatas (Dora Schwarzberg, Renaud Capuçon and Géza Hosszu-Legocky), a genuine "live in the studio" ambience informs her 1986 DG versions with Kremer; they achieve an ideal synthesis of abandon and rectitude, to paraphrase American critic Harris Goldsmith. The same can be said regarding the fervent dramatic contrasts and expressive inflections with which Argerich and Kremer shape the Bartók, Prokofiev and Janáček sonatas, as well as Messiaen's Theme and Variations (CDs 5 & 7). Argerich's recorded collaborations with Mischa Maisky date back even further than those with Kremer, to 1981, when the pair set down highly acclaimed studio versions of the Debussy Sonata and Franck's A major Violin Sonata arranged for cello. Argerich and Maisky first met in 1975 at the Vence Festival in the south of France. "We weren't playing on that occasion, just visiting," Maisky recalled in an interview with Jeremy Nicholas. "The next year we met again and played together. That's when we became friends - almost instantly. We tried to play a little bit at home. It went unbelievably naturally." It was also the f
