Part of the first batch of releases on Philips' mammoth "Great Pianists of the 20^th-century" series, this set really needs no introduction.

After winning the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions in 1957, and the Warsaw Chopin Competition in 1965, the name of Argentine pianist Martha Argerich was catapulted to worldwide prominence. Flashes in the pan dazzle and fizzle out, but Argerich has grown from strength to strength, hailed right from the very outset as a virtuoso of the highest order destined to be remembered as one of the veritable giants of the keyboard in this century.

Apart from her gloriously incandescent pianism and voluptuous, blazing personality, she is also best-known for her enigmatic, elusive personality. Even now, I find it hard to imagine a keyboard giant and flamboyant entertainer like her, capable of the most fearless bravura, to fear performing so much that she had decided to give up a significant part of it altogether: Indeed, since the mid-80s, Argerich's prolonged absence from both the studios and the concert-stage in solo piano repertoire is both baffling and frustrating to her many admirers.

But having said that, she has a small but significant (and thankfully, still growing, albeit slowly) discography that has been mostly widely-available on various labels, notably DG, Philips and EMI.

For this series, Philips has gathered together various gems from its own as well as DG's catalogues. None of these items are, unfortunately, new to the seasoned collector, but this set offers the beginner an inexpensive way to explore the genius of Martha Argerich.

The 1960s Prokofiev Third, formerly on DG, is justly famous. It is full of youthful abandon, wit, spontaneity, dazzling panache -- all high-voltage stuff. But, together with conductor Claudio Abbado, a favourite collaborator well-represented in this collection, the music-making is made even more memorable with many nice touches of feminine sensuality: just listen to the opening wind chords. The original CD release of this recording was bold but lacking in clarity: the accompanying notes, while chock-full of illuminating notes and rare photos, mention nothing of whether any remastering has been done, and I could be badly mistaken, but this particular work here does sound remarkably fresher.

The Rachmaninov Third, from the famous 'live' concert in Berlin with an inspired Riccardo Chailly conducting a Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in cracking form, is everything that Shine pianist David Helfgott's isn't: Here are exuberant confidence, almost arrogant individuality and zealous passion erupting with thunderous force, capped by stunning virtuosity, making it one of the finest Rach Thirds ever recorded.

Comparisons between Ms Argerich's Ravel concerto and her one-time, equally elusive mentor, Michelangeli's legendary 1959 recording on EMI prove to be illuminating. The latter is cooler, yet manages to unleash with jaw-dropping ease white-hot inspiration and intensive musicality; Argerich is more involved, more flexible, no less inspired, but she might seem indulgent beside the icy Italian. But how many performers choose to approach this work the way Michelangeli does? In her own way, Argerich's performance has a telling eloquence and sparkling individuality that can also be most rewarding.

The remaining Ravel items are sharply contrasted: Ravel's Gaspard is remarkably colourful, occasionally too bold, but it makes for a most thrilling listening experience anyway; the Sonatine, on the other hand, is splendidly controlled, poised and stylish.

The Liszt concerto is, needless to say, full of energy and romantic ardour.

In Bach's C minor Partita, we are reminded of what an excellent Bach player we have in Argerich -- indeed, amidst all her volcanic roars and earth-shattering bravura in other kinds of repertoire, we do forget that this living legend can also play with strait-laced simplicity and refreshingly unexaggerated and unassuming musicality.

Copyright © 1998 Lionel H Y Choi