The original article is available for free at the link below:
https://www.concerti.de/interviews/martha-argerich-2024
Interview with Martha Argerich
“For me, perfection is the end of something”
By Gregor Burgenmeister, June 9th, 2024
Despite her legendary status, Martha Argerich sees practice as an endless process. She would rather leave faith in perfection to others. Her antipathy toward interviews is almost as legendary as she herself is. Nevertheless, we were able to invite the 82-year-old, once-in-a-century pianist to an exclusive conversation on the occasion of the new Martha Argerich Festival, which this year appears in special venues in the Hanseatic cities.
-I must confess that my stage-fright over this interview increased from day to day…
-Argerich: Not as much as mine (laughs). Really, I don’t know much about myself.
-In one of your interviews with biographer Olivier Bellamy you quoted a French philosopher who said that the tragedy of our time is that everyone wants to express themselves, but no one has anything to say.
-Argerich: Oh, yes (laughs). Because I truthfully don’t have anything to say. I really like that!
-But my observation was that this is a contradiction. Because at times you also have much to say about music. Are you perhaps simply rooted in another time?
-Argerich: I do not feel that I have anything to say. At least I do not find it interesting. But you apparently think otherwise. Yes, when someone asks, it could be otherwise. But I much prefer to practice.
-You have so much life experience…
-Argerich: One must always practice anew. Experience alone does not suffice. Naturally I have practiced much in my life. Nevertheless, one must always continue to practice.
-What do you try to do when you practice?
-Argerich: Sometimes I need to learn something. Other times I need to refresh something. When one plays such diverse pieces, it is like encountering diverse people; each one is different.
-Does the encounter reach completion in the concert hall? Practice is ultimately preparation for the concert.
-Argerich: Not only for the concert. Practice is endless. There is no goal when you encounter a person. The concert is a part of the journey, and that is endless. I have heard that after a concert, Sviatoslav Richter always practiced what he had just played on stage.
-Because he was not satisfied with what he played?
-Argerich: Or because he discovered something that he did not know before. I don’t do that, but he did. The concert is not the last stop of the journey.
-How do you prepare to go on stage? Do you have a picture of what you wish to present on a particular evening?
-Argerich: No. I simply want to play as well as I can, and to experience the music together with the public. But I don’t have a goal to present something specific. That is not how I am.
-As opposed to Michelangeli, for example…
-Argerich: Yes, but he never said anything about that. And I don’t know what he thought. But he played like a sculptor. Whether he also felt that, I don’t know, but I found it so. Each time he played a piece, it was almost exactly the same. As opposed to Horowitz. With him, a piece was different every time.
-Michelangeli attempted, like a visual artist, to bring a complete and perfect interpretation to the stage. For you, the music seems to arise from the moment…
-Argerich: Music is like life. It always flows. Everything. There is nothing that can hold it in place. Even when we take photos, they cannot capture life the way it is. It always depends on the condition of the viewer. In music it is the same. For example, if one finds a recording truly pleasing at one time, three days later one can find the opposite. And of course that is also true. A concert cannot be retrieved; it is only once, and it is good that way. It is an adventure.
-Adventure can also be called risk.
-Argerich: Yes. But everything in life involves risk, doesn’t it?
-Then is music a balancing-act between perfection and freedom?
-Argerich: I do not believe that perfection exists. Perfection is not playing no wrong notes. It depends on how something sounds. The expression, phrasing, above all to have a conception of the complete work; that is what matters, not only the correct notes. The term “perfection” is suspicious to me.
-And if I replace “perfection” with “ideal”?
-Argerich: Doesn’t everyone strive for an ideal? Yes, naturally. For me, however, perfection is always the end of something.
-You said once that on stage you feel like an insect under a magnifying glass.
-Argerich: Sometimes, but not always. Of course the feeling is stronger when you play solo, because you are completely alone. But with an orchestra or other musicians on the stage, you don’t feel that way. It is much better not to be alone on stage. For me that is very significant.
-For a long time, you have concentrated on a much reduced solo repertoire. How has your view of these works changed over time, and how much of Martha Argerich can be found, for example, when you play the Ravel concerto?
-Argerich: I cannot answer this question. As interpreters we always try to find out what the composer wanted, whether we succeed or not. We are intermediaries and translators, but we also have our own voice and handwriting. Naturally something of our own personality also comes through.
-Do you feel yourself to be more of a translator, or a co-creator?
-Argerich: I do not know. Those are really just words. Gulda always said that he was more of a photographer than a painter.
-And you are more of a painter than a photographer?
-Argerich: That is for others to judge. I believe I am entirely natural. I do not like it when someone thinks that they can do whatever they want. We should have respect for the work that we do.
-What is your relationship with contemporary music?
-Argerich: I do not play very much, even though I am interested in it. Probably I am simply too lazy. I am an expert at wasting time (laughs).
-Do you have a source of inspiration outside of music?
-Argerich: I believe so. Ballet is something that interests me. It gives me joy. Yes, we need that: joy. And meeting and conversing with people.
-At one time you wanted to be a doctor. Can music give us more than joy? Can music heal?
-Argerich: Many people say that. Abbado said that music is the best medicine. If someone makes or listens to music, they go into another world. If someone is suffering, it can also help. Music carries you away with it. I do not know whether it can heal sickness, but music gives me fantastic energy which I do not find anywhere else.
-What can music contribute to politics and society?
-Argerich: Music can give expression to things that words cannot describe, because words often lead us into error. And when someone performs music, it is a public experience. Barenboim said that in music we learn about life. In politics it could be so, because everyone must do something, must say something and must listen to everyone else. Everything only works when it goes together. Everyone must do their part and listen to others. Sometimes you are the second voice, sometimes the first, sometimes the third, sometimes the fourth voice. The way music is played in an orchestra is really a wonderful thing, and could be an example for politicians of how to achieve something in harmony.
-Also as in chamber music, which you often like to play…
-Argerich: Yes, in chamber music everything comes together. Music is a wonderful communication tool. I do not know why I enjoy playing chamber music so much, but I love it. Communication is very important for me.
-You have made many choices in your life which any manager would have said were bad for your career.
-Argerich: Managers were not really important to me. I am not the type to wait for someone to tell me what to do, or what not to do. If I had studied medicine, even though I would listen I would still have questions. And I would want to know why something is so. I am not very obedient. But also not dominant (laughs).
-What makes you happy?
-Argerich: (sighs deeply) I am just happy. I do not know why, but I am happy (laughs).
(End of translated article)
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