Pianist Martha Argerich:
You know, very often, I thought that I liked to listen, to hear, the Chopin concerto by young pianists. Yah, I think he was 20 when he did this one. Before, I used to think like that. Now I'm ... in a critical situation about that. Well, to compare it with what, for instance, of his other pieces? OK, the Preludes, the Polonaise-Fantasie? There is already this element of, like, you know, a very beautiful poisoned flower, sometimes. There is already a little bit of it, not as much as there has been in other, yah, but there is...
Indeed, Chopin was 20. He was leaving Poland, a country itself like a beautiful poisoned flower at the time. He would never return.
Charles Dutoit directs the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Jorge Bolet.
