Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Argerich's concert is cancelled... not her fault!

Seiji Ozawa was supposed to be the conductor for Martha's concert (Beethoven's first) and he apparently had surgery recently (for a herniated disc!!) and needs a (very) long recovery time. The concert was planned for April.
I kind of expected this when I bought the tickets almost a year ago, because Ozawa was diagnosed with some GI cancer (esophageal?.. ).. Sorry for him and for missing Argerich! Who knows when /if she will ever perform again solo (or near solo).. I bet she is relieved.. For a change, she did not initiate the cancellation. I don't know why they could not get a substitute conductor..

I'm so sorry for you! How disappointing. I hope you can get a chance to hear her again.

I find it hard to believe they couldn't find a substitute conductor. I bet she was fussy about who she'd work with.

^ That's pretty much always been the case. No one was really surprised about the total cancellation on the Argerich db.

We have tickets too, also bought way in advance, on the day that the tix became available last August; I had marked down the date and made sure to be working the phone at the exact moment when the sale began. And I likewise was ready for anything about it. Sorry to hear it of course, but thanks for giving the news -- this is the first I hear it.

If I were Martha Argerich, I probably would not accept a substitute conductor. In fact, that is probably what happened. It's not like there are no conductors available.

Really? Ozawa or none?? Somebody of her calibre could easily get just about any conductor flown in for the evening or even make use of the NYPhil conductor or James Levine, or her buddy Dutoit etc..
Actually, I think the bigger problem was that this was in a "Japan" series that featured Ozawa and his group (? Japan Music Academy or somrthing of the sort); they also had another -different- concert on the following day that was cancelled.

^Well it's not for just one concert. Ozawa has cancelled all of his concerts until august this year.
I had tickets to see her in Paris in april... so disapointed

I hope he is not very ill from his cancer. He may be frail from chemo, but such a long recovery following simple back surgery is inauspicious..

I've heard Argerich three or four times including a semi solo recital at Carnegie Hall. She never cancelled any of her concerts that I had tickets for. Probably because she knew I was coming.

I don't think that works, especially with someone like her but really to some extent with anyone. It's not just getting someone who's real good and who knows the piece, etc. etc. It's having someone you really want -- in her case probably the person she wants.

Gee, what a surprise...not.

No no......for "not" jokes, you need to pause longer!

More like: "Gee, what a surprise..........not."

There was a little tutorial of sorts about that in "Borat."

True. Although, for both you guys, I have to ask: what do you have against spaces? You shouldn't connect words by ellipses... without... spaces....

Or:

Gee, what a surprise.

Obviously most definitely there should be a separate thread on exactly how many "dots" we need before "not," and exactly how much bigger the "not" font should be!

Not to mention if there should also be 'spaces.'

Notation, as we know, is important.


...........NOT!!!

Funny: I don't hear much sympathy expressed for Ozawa and what he might be going through.

Regards,

Very true.
For better or (mostly) worse (as per what you said), we're focused on Argerich's performance not happening.

Amongst seasoned concert goers and those who have followed classical music for a long time, Ozawa's physical challenge is a cause to be very sad for.

But realistically, if Argerich had not cancelled, but had agreed to play with another conductor, how many ticket holders would have stayed away because of Ozawa's absence?

None. But that would have nothing to do with any disregard to his misfortune.