Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim: great on paper, not so much on record

Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim are arguably one of the greatest pianists alive. And they have lots of things in common: they are both from Argentina, they’re about the same age, they have been friends since they were kids, and they have also been playing music together ever since.

For any music lover, whenever these two giants play together feels like a celebration of talent and art. Listening to them feels as if history is being made.

I am passionate about French composers and I also love Argerich’s extraordinary playing, so when I found out she had recorded Debussy’s Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra alongside Barenboim, my expectations were understandably high.

The occasion is certainly special: it is the first time Argerich recorded this unfairly unknown piece by Debussy, one that many consider to be his Piano Concerto. The composer was so critical about his own piece that he actually prohibited playing it during his lifetime.

When you listen to it, you can understand the severity of his decision, since you can hardly find the cerebral, precise and refined Debussy that came to be at his prime. Nonetheless this does not mean that the piece is bad -it is actually beautiful.

The actual performance of the Fantaisie is decent. Argerich’s technical command is flawless, and Barenboim’s conducting is impeccable. However, it doesn’t sound extraordinary. The mixing is inconsistent (the high register in the piano comes off inconsistent, at times annoying, and the low one a bit muffled). The piano and orchestra does not seem to sound as an entity. The piece at times gets to be joyful, but it does not quite reach considerable levels of excitement.

The real gems of this album are the chamber pieces that Barenboim performed at the piano: Debussy’s Violin and Cello Sonatas. One can find a warm intimacy and a refined sort of beauty.

Debussy’s La mer sounds okay, but that is precisely the problem that I had while listening to this entire record: it looked extraordinary on paper, given the status of the musicians involved, but it does not sound like an exceptional piece of music.