MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

Live from the Lugano Festival 2007

International release: March 2008

5099951833121 (3 CDs) 5099951833251 (digital download)

"These annual live sets from the Lugano Festival are one of the delights of the year." (Observer)

EMI Classics is pleased to release the latest installment of highlights from the Martha Argerich Project at the Lugano Festival. This is the fifth annual 3-CD set celebrating the musical fruits of a project in which young soloists explore wide-ranging repertoire from the classical and modern schools in partnership with world-renowned artists, including Ms. Argerich. The latest recording, taped in the summer of 2007, is being released in anticipation of the Festival’s 2008 season and includes two works that Martha Argerich has never before recorded: Beethoven’s Ghost Trio, Op. 70 No. 1 and Busoni’s arrangement of Mozart’s Fantasie für eine Orgelwalze.

In addition to the brilliant Ms. Argerich, the performers include familiar names from previous Live from Lugano Festival releases, among them EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists Gabriela Montero, Sergio Tiempo, Nicholas Angelich and Renaud Capuçon. They are joined by pianists Karin Lechner, Lilya Zilberstein, Alexander Mogilevsky, Francesco Piemontese and Mauricio Vallina, violinists Lucy Hall, Alissa Margulis and Dora Schwarzberg, violists Lida Chen and Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, cellist Mischa Maisky, Mark Dobrinsky and Jorge Bosso, and double bass player Enrico Fagone.

The repertoire in these Lugano Festival sets is characteristically diverse. The discs from 2007 boast repertoire extending from Mozart to Lutosławsky, with additional works by Beethoven (child and master), Schumann, Ravel, Bartók, Glinka, von Dohnányi and Messiaen. There is music for piano four hands by Mozart (arr. Busoni), Ravel and Lutosławski, works for two pianos by Schumann and Ravel (trans. Lucien Garban), for violin and piano by Messiaen and Bartók, for piano trio and piano quartet by Beethoven, for piano quintet by Ernst von Dohnányi and for piano sextet by Glinka. Moreover, Ms. Argerich, who performs in more than half of the twelve works over the three discs, does a substantial solo turn playing Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Op. 15.

Few artists have nurtured and promoted emerging young musicians with the level of personal commitment shown by Martha Argerich. In the process, she has created inspired and inspirational chamber music partnerships mixing established and up-and-coming artists. A legend in her own lifetime for her technical mastery and passionate artistry, Argerich possesses an infectious spirit that has fired her own performances and partnerships as well as those of her colleagues and protégés.

Martha Argerich and Friends “Live from the Lugano Festival 2005” was nominated for two Grammy Awards, as was the set from 2004.

In September 2007, EMI Classics released an additional disc recorded at the 2006 Lugano Festival featuring Martha Argerich in three works by Dmitri Shostakovich. She performs the Concerto for Piano, Trumpet & Orchestra No. 1 with the outstanding young trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana under the baton of Alexander Verdernikov, the Concertino for Two Pianos Op. 94 with Lilya Zilberstein and the Quintet for Piano and String Quartet Op. 57 with violinists Renaud Capuçon and Alissa Margulis, violist Lyda Chen and cellist Mischa Maisky. "Argerich’s fire makes this disc essential listening,“ wrote The Times. “She crackles at the scales in the First Piano Concerto and lights the jaunty beacon themes. She ignites, too, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, who follow like the wind under the tending baton of Alexander Verdernikov.” In the words of The Evening Standard, "It's not so much the notes she plays as the spaces between that makes Martha Argerich's the most compelling record of Shostakovich piano music by anyone outside the composer's inner circle."

As in previous years, this 3--CD set will be available for the cost of two mid-price CDs.

The seventh season of the Martha Argerich Project takes place from June 12 to 28 2008. Many of the artists on these CDs will take part again this year. Details may be found at http://www.rtsi.ch/argerich

“The Lugano festival is community music-making on a deluxe scale, with

performers and listeners mutually uplifted by music’s wonders” (The Times)

“The delightful festival where youth meets experience and both benefit: […]

friends are the best music-makers.” (Gramophone)

TRACKLISTING

CD 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Trio in D major Op. 70 No 1 for piano , violin and cello

«Geister-Trio»

[1] 1. Allegro vivace con brio

[2] 2. Largo assai ed espressivo

[3] 3. Presto

Martha Argerich, pianoforte

Renaud Capuçon, violino

Mischa Maisky, violoncello

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

[4] Fantasie für eine Orgelwalze

Martha Argerich, piano

Lilya Zilberstein, piano

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)

[5] Andante and Variation for two pianos Op 46

Martha Argerich, piano

Gabriela Montero, piano

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Kinderszenen op. 15

[6] 1. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen

[7] 2. Kuriose Geschichte

[8] 3. Hasche-Mann

[9] 4. Bittendes Kind

[10] 5. Glückes genug

[11] 6. Wichtige Begebenheit

[12] 7. Träumerei

[13] 8. Am Kamin

[14] 9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd

[15] 10. Fast zu ernst

[16] 11. Fürchtenmachen

[17] 12. Kind und Einschlummern

[18] 13. Der Dichter spricht

Martha Argerich, piano

CD2

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

Quartet in D major, WoO 36, No. 2

for violin, viola, violoncello and piano

[1] 1. Allegro moderato

[2] 2. Andante con moto

[3] 3. Rondo. Allegro

Karin Lechner, piano

Alissa Margulis, violin

Lida Chen, viola

Mark Dobrinsky, cello

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Ma mère l’oye, suite for piano four hands

[4] 1. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormante (Lent)

[5] 2. Petit Poucet (Très modéré)

[6] 3. Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes

(Mouvement de marche)

[7] 4. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête

(Mouvement de valse modéré)

[8] 5. Le jardin féerique (Lent et grave).

Martha Argerich, piano

Alexander Mogilevsky, piano

Mikhail I. Glinka (1804-1857)

Grand Sextet for piano, two violins, viola, cello and doublebass

[9] 1. Larghetto - Moderato – Allegretto

[10] 2. Andante cantabile

[11] 3. Vivace

Alexander Mogilevsky, piano

Lucy Hall, violin

Alissa Margulis, violin

Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, viola

Mark Drobinsky, cello

Enrico Fagone, double bass

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

[12] Thème et variations pour Violon et Piano (1932)

Alissa Margulis, violin

Francesco Piemontese, piano

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No 2

(transcribed for two pianos by Lucien Garban)

[13] 1. Lever du jour (Lent)

[14] 2. Pantomime (Lent – Très lent – Vif – Très lent)

[15] 3. Danse générale (Lent – Animé)

Sergio Tiempo, piano

Karin Lechner, piano

CD 3

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Sonata No 1 Sz 75 for violin and piano

[1] 1. Allegro appassionato

[2] 2. Adagio

[3] 3. Allegro

Renaud Capuçon, violino

Martha Argerich, piano

Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960 ??) Quintet No 1 in C minor for piano, two violins, viola and violoncello, op.1

[4] 1. Allegro

[5] 2. Scherzo

[6] 3. Adagio, quasi Andante

[7] 4. Finale. Allegro animato

Nicholas Angelich, piano

Dora Schwarzberg, violin

Lucy Hall, violin

Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, viola

Jorge Bosso, cello

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)

[8] Variations on a theme of Paganini

Martha Argerich, piano

Mauricio Vallina, piano

Live recordings: Auditorio Stelio Molo, Lugano, June 2007

Artistic Direction: Martha Argerich

Executive Producers: Carlo Piccardi (RTSI),

David Groves (EMI)

Production, recording and editing: Michael Rast

Editor, Beethoven “Ghost” Trio and Glinka Grand Sextet:Uta Ruscher

DISCOGRAPHY

Martha Argerich Live at the Lugano Festival

389 2412 Live from the Lugano Festival 2006

584 7222 Live from the Lugano Festival 2005

476 8712 Live from the Lugano Festival 2002, 2004

562 9702 Live from the Lugano Festival 2003

557 4692 Beethoven: Clarinet Quartet; Mozart: Piano Quartet Marek Denemark, Mark

Drobinsky, Martha Argerich

557 5062 NCP version

557 4682 Brahms: Sonata for Two Pianos; Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No.1 Lilya Zilberstein,

Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Martha Argerich

557 5042 NCP version

557 7732 Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Schumann: Piano Concerto Renaud Capuçon,

Mischa Maisky, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana/Rabinovitch-Barakovsky

Martha Argerich Presents

558 0182 Sergio Tiempo (release March 06)

Gabriela Montero on EMI Classics

002 3424 Baroque

351 4452 Gabriela Montero Bach and Beyond

558 0392 Gabriela Montero recital

On Virgin Classics

Nicholas Angelich

189982 0 Brahms Piano Concerto No 1; Hungarian Dances for Piano Four Hands with Frank Braley/Frankfurt Radio Symphony/Paarvo Jarvi – March 08 release

379302 2 Brahms Klavierstücke op. 116-119

332628 2 Brahms recital - Ballades, Paganini Variations

545643 2 Brahms Piano Trios with Renaud & Gautier Capuçon

545731 2 Brahms Violin Sonatas 1-3 with Renaud Capuçon

Renaud Capuçon

545663 2 Mendelssohn, Schumann Concertos, Mahler Chamber

Orchestra/Harding

3545482 2 Le boeuf sur le toit: works by Milhaud, Ravel, Berlioz, Massenet, Saint-Saëns

3545731 2 Brahms Violin Sonatas 1-3 with Nicholas Angelich

365476 2 Schubert Trios op. 99 and 100; Sonatensatz with Frank Braley

326262 2 Inventions

545586 2 Face à Face (duets)

545492 2 Ravel - Piano Trio, Violin Sonata, with Frank Braley

545602 2 Saint-Saëns Carnaval des animaux, with Emmanuel Pahud,

Frank Braley, David Guerrier, Paul Meyer etc

545563 2 Schubert Trout Quintet with Frank Braley, Gerard Caussé etc

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