Martha Argerich and Arthur Moreira Lima at the Chopin Competition in 1965. The 7th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition went down in history as one of the greatest. Two artistic personalities imparted an incredible lustre not just to this edition of the competition, but to all those to come.
In 1965 the concert hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic was conquered by two artists from South America: the Argentinian Martha Argerich and the Brazilian Arthur Moreira Lima.
The first round saw Lima emerge as the favourite. He was a remarkable pianist, sensitive and subtle, his interpretations bringing out Chopins lyricism and the pastel shades in his music. He wowed listeners with his exceptionally delicate playing.
Martha, meanwhile, captivated the audience from the very first note of the second round and captivates us still today. Her playing, though also filled with tenderness and delicacy, was dominated above all by incredible energy and spontaneity.
Her playing was sheer perfection; Lima allowed himself the occasional transgression, but always committed with the utmost charm. She triumphed; he finished second.
More than half a century later, we present to you a precious document of both artists performances in the final, accompanied by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Witold Rowicki.
