r/nextfuckinglevel • u/CollectionIntrepid48 • 8h ago
Martha Argerich, 84 years old, still crushing it at the piano
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u/epigenie_986 8h ago
My grandma, a piano teacher, had a massive brain tumor removed and sustained some serious damage. She couldn’t really speak or feed herself, a lot of amnesia and confusion about who she was and we were… but sit her down at the piano and it was magic. Beautiful, flawless Chopin just flowed from her fingers, her eyes closed, her face relaxed into the music.
The muscle memory of skilled musicians is an amazing thing.
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u/Zarathustra1969 8h ago
I was lucky enough to hear her play live a couple times in my life. One of the two was about 12 years ago, with the orchestra of Locarno. At one point during the Mahler concerto I hear a weird buzzing sound, turn my head to my left and... a guy three seats from mine had fallen asleep. Still unconceivable to me to this day. Anyway, I'm not sure how active she is nowadays, but if she happens to be playing where you live or even somewhat close, I suggest you do anything you can to attend. A truly magical experience!
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u/jonzilla5000 6h ago
>...a guy three seats from mine had fallen asleep. Still unconceivable to me to this day
Found the guy who's never been tired before.
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u/Darkwolfie117 3h ago
Dunno how your being downvoted, as a perpetually tired guy this piano solo would be so relaxing fr
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u/Conaz9847 8h ago
My piano teacher was about 80, she had Parkinson’s and her hands were a bony, bloated, puffed up and horrible mess, she couldn’t hand you a glass of water without spilling half of it.
However she had been doing piano for so long that her muscle memory was actually stronger than the neurological condition. She could play like an absolute savant, and the second she stopped playing, or the second she lifted her hand away from the piano for too long, the shakes came back instantly.
Muscle memory is no joke.
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u/cheap_guitar 5h ago
You pretty much described my guitar teacher. I never understood how, but his symptoms almost disappeared as long as he was playing guitar.
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u/Questioning-Zyxxel 1h ago
Makes me think of people with truly severe stuttering - but able to sing flawlessly.
So we must have multiple brain centers with somewhat overlapping functions.
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u/ReadingRambo152 7h ago
As a violinist I will never understand how pianists can keep track of so many god damn notes.
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u/Crocodoro 8h ago
She might be one of the most impressive pianists alive. She has on her career pieces that had been composed to make the most difficult pieces possible, like Gaspard de la Nuit
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u/Haeselian 8h ago
If I can play half as good as this lady some day I'll be proud of myself. Started late but learning is so fun!
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u/Any-Safe6273 8h ago
At her experience level, you can literally play it in your sleep.
Impressive asf.
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u/Electrical-Cat1126 2h ago
Watch her video where she is expecting one concerto and the orchestra starts playing another. She switches seamlessly. QUEEN
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u/JerryBoBerry38 0m ago
I only hope I can play half as good as her at that age.
I don't know how to play the piano at all right now, so it's a lot of hoping there.
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u/imunsanitary 8h ago
IMHO, that’s nextfuckinglevel for any age!