Light, shade, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, emotion, reflection, dreams, passion, brilliance, effectiveness, momentum and impetus; a bewitching melodic line, with unexpected contrasts of competing male and female characteristics − the sumptuous expression of a romantic piano in dialogue with a romantic orchestra…All these features can be found in the performances of the great artist Martha Argerich, whose creativity inspires the orchestral playing. These recordings (from a live concert performance) faithfully register the fascinating interpretations which in general, stand out as some of the most brilliant performances of Schumann’s and Tchaikovsky’s − R o m a n t i c Piano Concertos.The essence of Romanticism in music, which also represents a nucleus of a general Romantic outlook and attitude, the Romantic creative imagination, and the characteristically open style of the Romantic narrative and structural form, can be found in these concertos, in particular the more expansive and representational, reveal a certain “restlessness of heart”, a feeling of anxiety and an emotional dynamism inherent to the music of the times; as well as a dualistic manner in which the composers of the Romantic age perceived the music: on the one hand strongly self−sufficient in matters of form and expression, on the other deficient in a purist sense. Consequently “on a par” with other art forms, the concerto repertory strives to be poetic, picturesque and theatrical; as if yearning to be a narrative discussion, dialogue or a dramatic, lyrical as well as humorous theatrical scene, while simultaneously retaining its character of “display” virtuosity. Against a background of the numerous lesser works of the concerto genre which formed the staple “musical diet” of 19th century audiences, a few Piano Concertos stand out as masterpieces, that for the last century and a half have regularly attracted successive generations of performers and have maintained their status, in the concertos by Chopin, the one by Schumann, the two by Liszt, the two by Brahms, the one by Tchaikovsky and to a certain extent the early 20th Century concertos of Rachmaninov. Moreover, Romanticism seen in the concerto repertory emerged from an already rich tradition, namely the concertos of Mozart, and found a suitably fertile soil for propagation in the “brillante” style of early 19th Century popular music.

Bohdan Pociej

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