Martha Argerich and Friends - Live from Lugano 2012

15 April 2013, 17:29

Young artists and seasoned performers join forces on this wide-ranging album, exploring a huge selection of chamber music and orchestral repertoire. Drive Featured Album, April 14 2013.

Recorded live at the Lugano Festival in 2012, and set for release on 15 May, this is the tenth annual set celebrating performances from Martha Argerich and fellow chamber musicians. It's certainly an exciting release - both in terms of its sound and its content. The sheer range of talent on the album is extraordinary, and you can almost hear the on-stage adrenaline in the playing.

It's not an overstatement to say there's truly something for everyone on this album. Fans of Debussy's dreamy solo piano music will certainly appreciate the unique three-piano arrangement of La Mer; it's a world away from the wonderfully crisp classicism in Mozart's Sonata for Piano Four Hands.

There's a healthy dose of rich Romanticism, with pieces by Dvořák, Mahler and Schumann, sitting side by side with a few lesser-known gems from the 20th century. Medtner's Piano Quintet is wonderfully intense, and Smetana's Sonata in E minor for Two Pianos, Eight Hands proves just how powerful the piano can sound.

A fantastic showcase of piano music through the ages, from some of the world's most exciting chamber performers.