Martha Argerich 2 (Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century series);

After all the (deserved) excitement over Martha Argerich's long-suppressed EMI Chopin recital, it's fascinating to hear her slightly later recordings of the same program made for DG, included in this album. In some of this Chopin playing, Argerich lets her fingers do the walking a little too much; some of the Préludes sound rushed and hectic, despite her masterful control. But even when she is a bit over the top, Argerich is such a fascinating musical thinker--and such an impressive technician!--that she's always worth hearing. There are no reservations about her powerful playing of Liszt's Piano Sonata or Schumann's Sonata No. 2, both instances of impressive pianistic resources being used in the service of very difficult music. And the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6, from her first DG recital, is a dazzler. Overall this is a very worthwhile collection, highly recommended. --Leslie Gerber