Two outstanding discs drawing together two live concerts given in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw by Martha Argerich
As happy in the relative economy of Mozart as in the temperamental storms of the romantics, Argerich gives us Mozart's grandest concerto (for some his Emperor) in as radiant, vital and carefree a performance as any within living memory. Here, her relish and musical delight are almost palpable, her first entry in the Andante a gentle and magical call to attention, her finale a marvel of teasing and scintillating virtuosity, her response to Mozart's heart-easing subject at 3'32'' a no less remarkable instance of her poetic affection and flexibility. Heinz Wallberg may be a less positive or sympathetic partner than Szymon Goldberg, commencing Beethoven's First Concerto in a more solid than bracing or con brio fashion, but things lighten and intensify at Argerich's first entry. Again, she is as glorious in repose as in the summer lightning more often associated with her, and whether you marvel at her inwardness at 4'39'' in the Adagio, or at her airborne velocity in the finale (where, figuratively, her feet never touch the ground), you can only wonder at such nimbleness and engagement.