Elle Promenait Ses Mains Sur Un Clavecin / Et Chopin La Trouvait Belle

Several years ago, pianist Martha Argerich gave the BBC an interview focusing on Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor:

"Chopin was a genius ... what can I say! He's the pianist ... the musician, pianist ... whom I would have loved the most to be able to hear, playing. I'm so curious about his playing, much more than anybody else, much more than Liszt, and much more than anybody else. You know? I'm so curious, I would love to see how he played, really, because of his compositions, the way he writes for the piano, which is totally different than anybody else, you know, and the way he makes the piano sound and the way he writes for the piano, .... it's totally different. The virtuosity, and of course ... which must not be obvious, because the musical quality is extraordinary in Chopin -- so, the virtuosity, which is tremendous because it's terribly difficult ... it's there, but it has to be ... like an understatement. And it has to show, I mean, it's not a show-off thing, you know. It's called a Concerto Brilliante, yes, brilliant. ... Well, but I think this is not....

I have to tell you that when I don't play Chopin for awhile, I don't feel like a pianist."

(More of the interview plus sound files here.)