Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39

“Ashkenazy at the height of his powers.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2006

“Argerich's pianism is remarkable for combining seemingly effortless technical resource with temperamental volatility. Yet the vehemence of her playing is seldom to the disadvantage of the extraordinary subtlety of her art. Moreover, despite the limits she places on her repertory, such is the spontaneity of her approach that each of her interpretations, no matter how familiar in broad outline, is characterised by a profusion of contrasting details beneath the surface. In the B minor Sonata she omits the first-movement repeats. Such a formal contraction can contribute to the momentum with which the movement unfolds. Ironically, however, she seems to rein in the propulsive power for which she's renowned, appearing instead to be seeking at every turn to exploit a deeply felt exprssive lyricism to offset the febrile intensity of the most energetic figurational devices. This has the virtue of allowing us a less hectic view of subsidiary elements within the music, which elsewhere can too often be overwhelmed by the sheer turbulance of the action. Some of the most satisfying playing on the disc comes in her account of the Op 59 Mazurkas. There's a vulnerability as well as an affecting wistfulness about the playing which captures the elusiveness of the idiom, with its harmonic ambiguities, with rare acuity.
At the other end of the scale, the excitement she generates in the A flat Polonaise is of an order that goes far beyond mere effect. If these accounts do not necessarily outstrip her other recordings, they nevertheless offer an intriguing insight into ongoing 'work in progress' from a pianistic giant whose artistry continues to fascinate and perplex.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“this brilliant disc deserves its legendary appellation...Argerich performs with such white-hot intensity that it scarcely feels like a studio recording. Her volcanic energy can leave you scrambling to keep up, but the Thrid Sonata is breathtaking in its spontaneity, and the Mazurkas are richly imbued with Polish spirit.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012

“This legendary 1972 performance wonderfully captures Argerich's prodigious fluency and technical mastery. She plays octaves like single notes.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008

“Here, on this richly filled CD, is a positive cornucopia of musical genius.
Martha Argerich's 1961 disc remains among the most spectacular of all recorded débuts, an impression reinforced by an outsize addition and encore: her 1972 Liszt Sonata.
True, there are occasional reminders of her pianism at its most fraught and capricious (Chopin's Barcarolle) as well as tiny scatterings of inaccuracies, yet her playing always blazes with a unique incandescence and character.
The Brahms Rhapsodies are as glowingly interior as they're fleet. No more mercurial Chopin Scherzo exists on record and if its savagery becomes flighty and skittish (with the chorale's decorations sounding like manic bursts of laughter), Argerich's fine-toned fluency will make other, lesser pianists weep with envy.
Ravel's Jeux d'eau is gloriously indolent and scintillating and the Prokofiev Toccata is spun off in a manner that understandably provoked Horowitz's awe and enthusiasm. Liszt's Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody is a marvel of wit and daring and the B minor Sonata is among the most dazzling ever perpetuated on disc. The recordings have worn remarkably well and the transfers have been expertly done.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The shaping intellect is always in control, even when the intensity is white-hot.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2007