My seat is against the back wall up in the sky, but at least I'll see her as a dot of flying arms and hair.


Charles Dutoit conducts the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra.

Program:
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

About the concert: http://wdch.laphil.com/tix/performance_detail.cfm?id=3080


About Martha Argerich:
http://wdch.laphil.com/about/performer_det...laphil%2Ecom%2F


About Charles Dutoit:
http://wdch.laphil.com/about/performer_det...laphil%2Ecom%2F

That is nothing! Yesterday I had a date with Venus!

She's a cheaper date in LA than she is in Chicago - lowest ticket price here is $60 - same program.

As I said in the other thread, I'm as jealous as can be because I can't attend. Please post a review of the concert so I can experience it vicariously (and take some binoculars ).

Yes, and that's why I'm ignoring this thread...

I have a date with her next week.

Does Martha know about all these dates?

Cheers!

Never met Agerich, but my wife use to meet Horowitz routinely in the 80's in NYC.
Honest to G-d story: While running errands with kids in tow (a four year old in hand and twins in the stroller) in the Carnegie Hill area she used to run into this very pleasant avuncular gentleman. The chance meetings became more frequent and often times he would carry her groceries or wheel the stroller, or grasp the hand of the older one. Apparently they talked about everything & nothing along Madison Avenue.
We moved to Jersey and she lost track of him. One day while watching a show dedicated to Mike Wallace’s all-time favorite interviews on 60 minutes she exclaimed that the fellow playing the Stars & Stripes Forever was her long-lost friend. By this time he had passed away.
We always wondered if he took a curious interest in her and the kids because she did not recognize him, did not fawn over him but rather treated him as a kindly neighborhood gentleman.

You used to live near Madison/57th and you left for NJ

Actually my wife would meet him regularly at the Citibank branch at 92nd & Madison, and they would walk on Madison doing errands. I heard that he lived near 57th but can't explain why he was found so frequently uptown. Maybe it had to do with the proximity to Mt Sinai and doctor's row along Park & Fifth? Anyway, don't really know.

She would tell me about him at supper and but it was just dinner conversation, (And what did you do today?...) When she saw his face and hands on TV she let out a yelp.

Yeah, finished the 8 years of residency/fellowship training at Mt Sinai and it was time to move out of house staff housing. By that time, with the kids, we were outgrowing the apartment and it was time to buy our first home. Got first job in Jersey & bought a home in Teaneck.

After a few years in the Garden State we realized that New York is for the very young or wealthy, and at a certain point we were neither. Was hardly going into the city anymore but had a New York City cost of living. It was time to move back to the Midwest for a better standard of living.

Bruce:
Does Martha know about all these dates?

Perhaps she does. That's maybe why she asked one of her ex-husbands to come along and act as chaperone... and then thought he might as well do some conducting to stop him getting too bored

-Michael B.

I ran into Horowitz on Second Avenue back in 1989, I think. Story recounted here.

I guess I'll try to get tickets for Argerich next week.

I once had a date with Lili Krauss. (as in dinner date... )

Should have offered him a lick off the cone, or at least treated the Mr & Mrs to a smoothie at the nearest Papaya King.

Just the two of you? Tell us more... or is this "PM" material?

I'm with Jason - don't leave us hanging like that!

Heh heh...

I've had dinner dates with presidents, ambassadors, and movie stars - but this was one of the most extraordinary events of my life...

I was out of state visiting family, and was invited to a friend's home in the neigboring city. To my surprise, Lili Kraus was the other invited guest!

I was to perform several of the Transcendental Etudes that week, so before dinner she spent nearly the whole time coaching me - I was flabbergasted, to say the least.

I'm sure folks might think Lili Kraus and Liszt a rather incongruous pair. Not in the least! Her supreme musicianship came to the fore, and is what I remember to this day.

I had my choice of a number of exquisite pianos (my friend is quite fortunate indeed!) so I played the Bösendorfer Imperial. Of course!

Afteward the three of us enjoyed home-made goulash and Tokaji wine. We talked of our Hungarian heritage, and I was thoroughly entertained by fascinating stories for the remainder of the evening.

As they say: "believe it or not!"

SOLD OUT!

Maybe there is hope for Los Angeles, culturally.

Don't cry.
There's hope.

Los Angeles just is the first of 9 cities on her tour of this program:

Nov 8 - 8:00 pm Los Angeles, Calif
Nov 11 - 8:00 pm Houston, Texas
Nov 13 - 8:00 pm Chicago, IL
Nov 15 - 8:00 pm New York - Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Nov 16 - 8:00 pm New York - Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Nov 19 Genoa, Italy - Teatro Carlo Felice
Nov 20 - 7:30 pm Stockholm, Sweden - Konserthuset
Nov 22 - 8:00 pm Zurich, Switzerland - Tonhalle Zurich Grosser Saal
Nov 23 - 8:30 pm Lyon, France - Opéra
Nov 24 - 8:00 pm Düsseldorf, Germany

I've heard her play twice. The first time she performed the Prokoviev 1st and 3rd concertos. The second time was her incredibly rare solo performance(second half of the program was with Friere)at Carnegie Hall.

She is the most electrifying(I don't mean the best although she is a very great pianist IMHO) pianist performing today.

He home, abrownstone, was in the 90's between Fifth and Madison. I think he emight have moved out of the house at one point so maybe he took up temporary residence near 57th Street.

Kenny I'm looking forward to Friday 11/16 - Avery Fisher Hall same program.

Couldn't believe that this concert came up on TDF and I jumped at the opportunity to buy a ticket - don't know where my seat is, just happy to be able to hear her play - and I hope the orchestra doesn't overpower her playing and that she does actually show up. Can't wait till Friday 11/16.

I'm seeing her Sunday night!

(crossing fingers that she doesn't cancel)

Check out TDF website - they were still listed when I last checked and that's where I ordered mine www.tdf.org the are listed under Concets & Events bottom of the list. Are you a TDF member?

Theater Development Fund. Its listed as the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra and I clicked it on and Martha Argerich - surprise, surprise.

Turns out I was lucky to get a ticket.

Apparently it has been sold out for a while and just happened to buy my ticket online after someone cancelled.

Later they were all gone but there are much worse seats (like behind the stage).

A good friend of mine in Minneapolis -lucky him- will be going to Chicago for Argerich's Prokofiev 3.

Horowitz lived on E. 94 street for the majority of his life. (don't remember what cross street it was near, but by the park)

If he lived near the park it probably was between Fifth & Madison. Explains why my wife would meet him at the bank at 92nd & Madison. (94th btw. Mad & Park is Hunter College HS & their playground.)
As said before, she had no idea who he was at the time. I think that he may have taken a pleasure of "normalcy" with her.
Nevertheless, still think that Palindrome should have treated him to a smoothie.

I was relieved when Argerich walked out on stage because of her reputation for canceling.
I feel very lucky to have seen this great artist.

The Prokofiev didn't do much for me though the actual sound of the hall and the orchestra was impressive.
Maybe in 10 years my ears will be ready for that kind of music.

The applause was long and deafening.
We brought her out for two solo encores, a movement from a Scarlatti sonata that had me in tears (literally) from her first phrase, and the first piece of Schumann's Scenes from Childhood.

The orchestra did drown out the piano through much of Prokofiev’s third, but maybe that's how it is supposed to be, or it was the cheapo seat.
My seat was in the very back row of the highest balcony, dead center, and I only got that because someone cancelled.
My seat was so high that the piano’s open lid was pointing right at me; I could not see the top or bottom of it.

During her two solo encores the piano, a Hamburg D, sounded full, lush and gorgeous, even at my seat up in the sky.

Her Scarlatti was astonishing, that’s all I can say.
When hearing such an artist live it is almost like you are experiencing more than music.
Sensory overload
Circuits breaking
Orgasm

I think it is important to get off your butt and see artists like this from time to time.
It is so enriching for the soul.
It goes someplace inside you, like education; It is something you can call on.
It teaches a student how much is possible from those 88 keys.

If any of you are going to attend one of the 9 remaining concerts on this tour you can buy a CD of her playing Prok's 3rd with Charles Dutoit conducting if you want to get prepared.
I should have.
I would have appreciated the Prokofiev more.

Kenny - after reading your review, I can't wait till next Friday.

My pet peeve with any concert with a soloist backed by the orchestra, is that the soloist is almost always overpowered by the orchestra and I feel that the conductor has the ability have them play softer. Afterall, they are acting as the accompianist to the pianist, violinist etc. and the solo artist should be able to be heard throughout the concert not just when they stop playing for a minute.

I'm not sure it has to do with the location of your seat. The first time I heard Argerich play was at Carnegie Hall and I was so high up that I called it the ski slope section. Carnegie is famous for it's accoustics and the orchestra was conducted by Dutoit, guess he didn't want her to be heard, execpt for few places in the music and for the Ravel piece she played. I've never forgotten her playing Ravel - when she finished playing there was dead silence in the hall and then this wild burst of applause and a standing ovation. What a thrill and there's not much more I add to what has be said about Argerich.

I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that she shows up - one never knows.

Thanks for the update Kenny. Wish I could've been there. I hereby vow that I'm going to see her somewhere in the world before I die and/or she stops performing!

She will be in Houston, Texas the day after tomorrow, Nov 11 at Jones Hall.

She's 67 years old, and is a cancer survior.
This may be it.

I'd go to Houston and see her this weekend, if there are tickets.

Kenny: many, many thanks for your review!

Whilst reading I managed to transgress both the 3rd and 10th Commandments. And someone restrain me before I have a go at the 6th.
Amen to that, Greg.

As I said earlier in this thread, I'm unfortunately unable to attend in Houston (Doctor's orders not to travel) and as I lamented earlier this may be my last chance to see her. Hopefully not. When I recover I may be able to travel to attend one of the other U.S dates on this current tour.

Sorry Greg.

Be well.

That's rarely been my experience with orchestras and soloists, either of high caliber or of lesser status.

Regards,

The exact address was 14 East 94th Street, very close to Central Park.

Was the Scarlatti the famous one in D minor with all the repeated notes? ie the one on this link?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PcsRl_LIJHA

I'm glad she didn't cancel LA. That means decreased chance of her cancelling Houston.

I don't think so (sorry, pathetic memory).
I'm looking for a review that may tell us.

THAT WAS A SUPERB PERFORMANCE BY BOTH ARGERICH AND DUTOIT.

I was REALLY impressed with the youth symphony...

Did ya'll hear my chant from East Terrace? My friends and I started a "MARTHA! MARTHA!" chant... I got the ENTIRE section to chant with me... it was AMAZING. A lot like a crazy rock concert! The orchestra and Martha looked up smiling. It was great! She sat back down and played us TWO encores!

The two encore pieces were:

Scarlatti's Sonata in d minor, K141
Schumann's Kinderszenen - Hasche-Mann & Bittendes Kind

The piano sounded perfectly fine to me... the orchestra didn't drown her sound out, but I did have pretty good seats. I purposely got seats near the piano with the lid facing my way (sorta). I bought 10 tickets and we got em for 20 bucks each.

But I did move up to fifth row after intermission... gad this hall is AMAZING...

oh yea, I ended up sitting very close to the red haired girl from Desperate Housewives when I moved up--no joke.

Photos from my seats:



Martha after ripping through Prokofiev 3...




Maestro Dutoit kissing the goddess' hand...



walking off stage holding hands...




The UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra and Charles Dutoit

CarlosKleiberist:

Great pictures. Thank-you.

Thanks for "sending" us these terriffic pictures.

How were you able to take them?

Wonderful pictures! Thanks so much for sharing them.

lol I take photos every concert I go to... I must have hundreds, maybe more... lol this is just the first time I saw Argerich!

and probably the last time...

I'm not the idiot who takes photos with flash inside the hall.

Carlos,
Great pictures! I think it's so lovely she and Dutoit (her ex) are still partners in making great music.

Sophia

In a review called "Marth Argerich causes Disney Delirium," her recent concert here in LA was praised to the skies:

Pianist Martha Argerich certainly didn't want to upstage conductor Charles Dutoit and the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra on Thursday at Walt Disney Concert Hall. But it was inevitable.

The fiery Argentine pianist had canceled two highly anticipated Los Angeles dates in 2006 because of illness, and a duo tour she had planned with pianist Nelson Freire four years earlier fell through. In fact, Argerich hadn't played locally since 1999, in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and that performance came after an astonishing absence of 18 years.

So it was not surprising that she was greeted rapturously when she stepped onto the Disney stage. But after she played Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, the audience went ballistic. The applause and cheers rivaled the rock-star ovation awarded last week to Los Angeles Philharmonic music director-designate Gustavo Dudamel and his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.

Indeed, if Argerich hadn't led the Festival Orchestra offstage after playing two encores, the evening might have turned into a piano recital -- and that would have been just fine.

What accounted for the delirium? Her combination of poetry and power in taming the Prokofiev monster. She played with insight, bravura, an organic sense of discovery and a smile-inducing range of color and dynamics rarely heard from the hall's Steinway grand. Every note was alive and yet seamlessly a part of a living whole.

The same qualities surfaced in her encores -- Scarlatti's Sonata in D minor, K. 9 (L. 413), and two sections of Schumann's "Kinderszenen" played as a set but apparently in reverse order, "Hasche-Mann" and "Von fremden Landen und Menschen."

Dutoit, who was once married to Argerich, led the orchestra with a sensitivity that turned accompaniment into true collaboration. Surely he took as much pleasure in her playing as did the audience and the musicians who later applauded her fervently.[/b]
http://www.calendarlive.com/music/classical/cl-et-ubs10nov10,0,7131926.story?coll=cl-classical