During the break of the concert we broadcast live on Thursday, March 12th, 2026, we had the pleasure of interviewing Nicola Catto, editor in chief of the italian magazine "Musica" and member of the jury in ICMA. He was on the site, at the concert hall in Lugano, attening the performance of the Swiss-Italian Orchestra under the baton of the renowned conductor Charles Dutoit. The soloist was the legendary piano player Martha Argerich. The schedule included: the suite from Maurice Ravell's ballet Ma mere l'Oye (Mother Goose), Ludwig van Bethoven Piano Concerto no.1 in C major, Op.15 and Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No.4 in C major, Op.90, "Italian".

Thank you for taking time to join us for a little bit during the concert's pause we're broadcasting live. Is it a coincidence you're right now in Lugano or did you travel here specifically for this concert?

I come often to Lugano because I'm a collaborator of the Swiss radio station that is broadcasting this concert. I watch all of the Swiss-Italian Orchestra's performances, as well as the others performances that take place here, in Lugano, a city known for its music.

I would like to know how is the atmosphere in Lugano? I'm curious to know how do you think the audience received this first part of the performance? Of course, thanks to the connection via EBU, we heard everything, including the audience's applause and their reaction afther the two wonderful encores performed by Martha Argerich, but I'd like to know how does it feel in person?

I think Martha is loved all over the world, but especially in Lugano, because here she organized for 15 years The Martha Angerich Project, a wonderful chamber music festival that took place in June. So, she's really loved here, and she even live in Switzerland. The atmosphere she creates when she's performing in this hall it's simply electrifying. I know it's not polite to reveal a lady's age but in this case I will make an exception because Martha will turn 85 in a few months. I think that, looking at the piano players' history, we are witnessing a real phenomenon because few piano players still performed at this age, I'm thinking now at Rubinstein or Horszowski, for example. But to hear play with the same flair, same technical mastery, same brilliance she had 40 years ago, it's really a miracle, logically, it can't be explained.

Yes, of course. I'm thinking at this Beethoven concerto no.1, as well. I received the YouTube link you sent to Cristina Comandașu and posted on our channel Facebook page. Martha Argerich performing this opus at the age of eight.

Yes, you would never expect something like that, a concerto she's been performing for nearly 80 years. (Of course, she made some mistakes at that time but she was 8 years old!) What impresses me the most is the fact that her fundament interpretive vision hasn't changed. We find the same approach, with a "neoclassical" vision of the concerto, with the brilliance of the third movement and with shadows of pathos in the second one. Of course, Martha Argerich evolved a lot in all this time, but for me it is relevant the fact that she largely retained the same ideas throughout her life. Something like this is extremely rare among artists.

I think she's very happy tonight, considering she gave us two encores. So, it was a wonderful night even for her, given how demanding she is of herself.

Yes, firs it was Scarlatti, sonata K 141 in D minor, one of her signatures pieces that she has been playing for more than 60 years. The fact that she manages, at her age, to execute those ribattute notes is truly a phenomenon because the overall sound is still brilliant, never harsh. He embodies all the qualities you would want from a piano player. Of course, a standing ovation followed, a very rare thing in Switzerland, even in Italy, where I am from.

Well put. So, in Lugano, standing ovation aren't common.

No, not at all.

From your perspective, how do you see the three pieces that make the show's schedule tonight?

I can't say I find a common thread between these three pieces... Mother Goose is one of the signature pieces of Charles Dutoit's repertoire (Martha Argerich's former husband). The orchestra performed the suite extraordinary. And Dutoit, who will turn 90 this fall, is still powerful as a rock. He conducted from memory, every detail is glued in his mind and fingers. I don't know what connection would be between Ravel's suite, Beethoven's concerto and Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony but that doesn't really matter anymore. When we are seeing such an artistic level and these incredible musical works, we simply enjoy them.

So, even tonight, Charles Dutoit conducte witout a score.

The suite, yes. But he conducted the performance with a score. We will see how it goes with the symphony.

Martha Argerich, Charles Dutoit and the Swiss Orchestra will be tomorrow night in Milano. The tour begins with 5 concerts in Italy and Spain in just a week. These incredible artists have an extraordinary energy!

That's right, they have incredible energy. She coughed a little tonight, as she sometimes does, indicating she's not at her best, but when her hands touch the keyboard, everything sounds perfect, as always. Of course, we have to take their age into account, considering they are performing five concerts in a week. It's a huge challenge. Not the concerts themselves but the fact that they have to travel. Milano is only 40 km from Lugano so that's not a problem, but they will travel then to Spain, reaching 4 cities. So, it's a real physical challenge.

Do you know any interesting details about this subject?

Well, the tomorrow performance, from Milano was about to be cancelled because of a bureaucratic issue at the concert hall. A last minute solution was found, in "Italian-style" and the performance will take place at a different venue than the original planned; so they will not perform at Sala Verdi but at Teatro del Verme.

All's well that ends well.

Of course.

Thank you so much for your time.

My pleasure!

Continue to enjoy the performance! After the break, we're all looking forward to listen to the second half of tonight's performance.