A concert by Martha Argerich is always sensational, sometimes grandiose, and occasionally the audience experiences a truly stellar event. Going through the archives of Bavarian Broadcasting, the feeling was unanimous, and many “ear witnesses” themselves remembered the concerts: on these evenings Argerich was in top form, collaborated with two congenial conductors, inspired the orchestra and drew inspiration from it. In short: these live recordings should, indeed must be heard! Especially with this artist, the medium of live recording is especially valuable. Before an audience in the sold-out hall, there developed a knack for communication and spontaneous music-making with a downright personal appeal to the listener.

For the Mozart concerto, Eugen Jochum mounted the podium of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. He had a special relationship with the orchestra, having been the first chief conductor of the newly founded ensemble since 1949, a position he held until 1960. Seiji Ozawa was and is regularly heard as a guest conductor in Munich, where audiences look forward to his return in the 2009/2010 season. After the concert evening in June of 1983 the audience and reviewers were unanimous in their enthusiasm, as attested by the Abendzeitung: “Martha Argerich, currently in the form of her life, played (…) with inimitable fire without forgetting intimacy, sensitivity and expression.”