Alan Lai - pianist

Pre-recording rehearsal. Come if you are interested.

Martha Argerich - "an indomitable lioness" - in a new interview with a French publication.

Perhaps Martha Argerich has never been as popular as she is now. At 84, she is in great shape, despite her fatigue. We found a reason for a meeting tinged with nostalgia and humor.

I ask her in a text message if she would like to give me an interview. Two days later, she leaves me a voice message. "Yes, of course, but when?" and sends her schedule. I offer to join her in Israel. I think it would be a great story. Although no, she will be very busy - concerts, rehearsals... So when? Her daughter Stephanie will soon be 50. I am invited to Geneva, and Martha will be there. We could see each other the next day, before she leaves for Lugano. She doesn't answer, which means "we'll see." I invite Marta to dinner.

And so, like the Blue Fairy in the film "Pinocchio," she slowly descends from her apartment in the Terrassière district. I am struck by her vitality. She is tired, no longer young, but incredibly resilient. Our meal turns out to be very pleasant, lively, cheerful. On the menu are radishes with cream, fried chicken, potatoes with onions, fresh green peas, a green salad ("A meal without a salad is not a meal," says Marta), then a bottle of good red wine and a strawberry and mango salad. Finally, we can talk.

- How do you feel about your profession now?
- I don't know. It's strange to call it a profession, because this is all I do. This fascinates me more than anything else, much more than before.

- Why?
- (smiles) Because it's all I have. I don't want to be sad, but that's the reality... I've been making music my whole life, but now I play more than usual, and I travel all the time.

- Have you managed to find meaning in it over the years?
- No. I can't find it, just like everyone else. And with all my busy schedules, I just don't have time to think about it. I'm very old, and I don't think about how much time I have left.

- You almost never cancel your concerts. How is your health?
- Everything is fine. I think.

- Aren't you afraid that your memory will fail you?
- No more than before. I've always had a restless character... But we can play from the score if we want.

- Are you afraid of losing your strength?
- Performing? They tell me that I play very well now. And my colleagues assure me of this. Although, maybe they just want to console me... Unfortunately, some of them are no longer alive. Most of all, I trusted Nelson Freire's opinion. What should I be afraid of? That I will play worse?

- ...that the gods will take away from you what they gave you.
- With age, it is inevitable, like the loss of beauty, nothing can be done about it. Maybe it is unpleasant to see an old person go on stage. Or maybe this is what attracts the audience: "How does she do it? At her age!" (laughs). I once went to Horowitz's concert in Paris at the end of his life, because I wanted to hear Horowitz play!

- Do you feel this love of the audience for you?
- Yes. I think now more than before. Maybe precisely because of my age. But I still have the same feeling that I have to prove something. I can't help it! I am very demanding of myself, so I really prepare for each of my concerts. And I don't feel less capable. There are little things like, for example, it's become more difficult for me to walk, I have problems with balance. At the piano - no. Not yet. I remember listening to Nathan Milstein when he was in his eighties, and it was great. Playing string instruments is even more difficult than the piano.

- What does it consist of? Genetics? Practice?
- All musicians know. I'm not an athlete, but reflexes need to be worked on. Even things you've been playing for a long time require revision.

- Is it a question of humility or pride? So that you won't be seen...
- ...weak? Both. As always, I want to do my best.

Olivier Bellamy

Martha Argerich, la lionne inquiète A quatre-vingt-quatre ans, Martha Argerich n’a jamais été aussi présente sur les scènes internationales. Et dans une forme miraculeuse, malgré la fatigue. L’occasion d’une rencontre teintée de nostalgie et d’humour.

Finally got a date for my performance-rehearsal pre recording.

Come listen to this great collection of intimate emotional journey of the 20th century.

My students think they can fool me…🤔