STORY AND LINK: Martha Argerich cancels L.A. Phil appearance next week

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

The promise turned out to be a tease. Pianist Martha Argerich has cancelled her appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for next week. No reason was given in the Phil’s media announcement. Her replacements for the concerts March 17-20 will be American pianist Jeremy Denk.

The Argentine pianist, who turns 70 in June and is one of this generation's finest artists, had developed a disconcerting reputation of canceling performances during much of her career; music critic Alex Ross once wrote, “She cancels concerts, even entire tours, at the last minute, changes programs at will, and generally drives the programming people crazy.” To be fair, some of those dropouts were for health reasons; among other things, in 1990 she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma which eventually spread to her lungs and lymph nodes but she successfully overcame it. Moreover, in recent seasons she has played several times with the Phil. Not this year.

Next week’s program will remain the same: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (Haffner) and Masonic Funeral Music. Gustavo Dudamel will conduct. Friday’s program is a “Casual Friday” concert, so the Masonic Funeral Music will be omitted.

For info, including Denk’s bio, click HERE.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Comments

[Beau Hica]

Mediocre, unbalanced, uninspired evening Thursday. Bobble-headed Denk's Beethoven will pass and be forgotten with the rest. Don't know what you see in Fliter, either. The Mozarts were competent but not special. Someone must have realized that a total performance length of 59 minutes (6 mins Masonic + 35 min Beethoven + 18 min Haffner) was a scam and so Dudamel did another Mozart overture as an encore to pad things out. Late start and long intermission made it all come close to 10pm but this was the first 'meh' experience I had with Dudamel on the podium.

As for the spate of cancellations, I hope the Phil takes this opportunity to give Salonen, Golijov, and Argerich the boot. Yes, Argerich is a great pianist but she can take her cancellitis and lump it. There are others. I guess ol' Esa-Pekka continues to be too busy collecting conducting fees to focus on the composing he claims to love so much.

[Gary]

Well, I will look forward to Jeremy Denk then.

[Bob Thomas]

I understand and whether Argerich will show up is always something of a crap shoot. When Argerich has canceled in the past, the Phil has usually been fortunate to find a high-class substitute (it's how we discovered Ingrid Fliter) and Jeremy Denk certainly rates in that category. But it's not the same.
— RDT

[Gary]

Oh, no! I have tickets for Friday, purchased mainly to see Argerich.