My piano teacher once said "Argerich is the greatest pianist alive today!" High praise!

5:09 "Who knows?" - That was a serious answer, and exactly the answer that comes from a brilliant mind, a mind of total openness.

I’m surprised to see how shy she is and how humble she seems to be. She is , as mentioned by Obama , one of the greatest pianist of our time and excuse my shallowness but she is still very pretty on top of it all. God bless her

Martha simply rocks! I cannot think of another musician who combines so many wonderful musical qualities and has aged so gracefully without the diminishing skills. Listen to her recent performances. This amazing woman seems to be ageless. God bless her.

She is head and shoulders above all other pianists.

I love her reaction when she sees Plácido Domingo.

Lady of REAL class and a wonderful talent.Had the privilege once of hearing her play in London

The best description of Martha’s amazingness I’ve ever heard!

She is a very gracious woman - and rightfully deserves her place as one of the finest and most formidable pianists in modern history. Given the current US administration's global internationalist leanings, it doesn't come as a surprise they selected her to receive this honor, in spite of her limited involvement in US musical life. In any event she represents a rare musical phenomenon and gift to mankind :-)

She's just amazing. They're no words to describe how great she is.

No one: Absolutely no one: Obama: Martha ARGERITZ!

She deserves the highest honors even if those honoring her know only a little of whom they are honoring. She is a muse and goddess of the highest order.

You watch her and everything/everyone around her simply vanishes away. What an extraordinary woman, in every single aspect of its meaning.

I absolutely love this woman. :)

💕💕💕💕Martha Goddess of.Piano...4all of us pianists of the world.Respect...4ever

FELICIDADES MARTHA!!! la MEJOR PIANISTA de todos los tiempos, y una HERMOSA PERSONA !!! Desde Argentina BESOS.

I love your life, Martha

She is way above these people.

Un orgullo argentino.

"Well you're a little better now." "Who knows?" 🙄 😂😂😂

She was a good friend and colleague of my teacher, Ivan Davis. We were all excited when she came to Miami to play the Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto. Backstage I asked her how She pronounced her last name, and she pointedly replied, "ArgerICH----CH----CH---CH!!" And that certainly made a point!

Amo a esta mujer. inspiradora.

Bravo la genial Martica, la inolvidable amiga y compañera de mi juventud en Viena

If someone is familiar with piano, is almost impossible not to know her.

true greatness is usually very humble because it recognizes its own limitations....that is why so many artists suffer ...and there are not a lot of great artists....sorry to inform you all who think contestants on tv shows produce them weekly...GET IT?

This makes America great, it recognizes the greatest in all domains!

HOLA PLACIDO!

very gracious of her to entertain all of this the way she does

She has such a sweet spirit.

La plus grande pianiste, la plus parfaite, qu'a connu le 20ème siècle.

Grande Martha, una de las mejores intérpretes de ese maravilloso instrumento llamado piano. La esperamos en Buenos Aires , ojalá sea pronto !!!🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

oh god how i miss these times

She is amazing!

Omg my two favorite people in one video!

She's so humble how lovely

The music of Faso is an inexhaustible source of sweetness. It allows us to plunge deep inside ourselves and at the same time resonate with our fellow man, Yé Lassina Coulibaly❤❤❤❤❤❤

superbe personne magnifique artiste..

she is the reason I started playing bach

So glad that Martha received the honors when Obama was still in office. Can you imagine if she were to get one now? Of course, I doubt she would even come to the ceremony.

serendipity is what she feels

Wow this is illuminating

grande !!MARTHA....

Damn imagine having the privileged to introduce the best pianist of the 20th century for an award, obama should be honored

Gracias Martha por tu arte, tu pasión y tu talento.

Es un honor recibir esta distinción y los que hemos seguido la carrera de Marta desde que era chica estamos muy orgullosos de ella. Es testimonio de una época en que la Argentina se destacaba por su alto nivel cultural.

WOW!!!!!

She is divine

Say the name right !!

Queen!!

Absolutely love this woman

La mejor de todos los tiempos!

"Argeritz" LOL He'd never heard of her.

ooww wauww ! Obama met the greatest pianist alive, wauw !! Argerich, I carry you on hands. You are my HERO(ine)

Hola Placido! :) And it was Domingo.

The two ppl in this world I would love to meet. Martha just turned 80 (6-5-21) And I have seen her speak 5 languages myself. Barenboim does it too.

Richly deserving of the honor

At age 82 she is back on tour and us as good as ever

Divina

By the time she was 18 she left her native Argentina to study in Austria? ehhh? No, she was 14 when she went to study with Gulda in Vienna!

hard to overstate how lucky he is

A genius with a nose for genius. She has given other geniuses a chance at greatness, too.

I echo her confusion. Every time I try to see her in the US, she cancels! One day I will see her perform.

She is magnificent. (A pity that the President didn't know whom he was in the presence of.)

Qué grande que sos, Martha

Que pena que no tiene traducción al Español no todos sabemos lngles.

WHERE IS THE PERFORMANCE???!

Lovely lady, stunning beauty when she was young

❤️❤️❤️❤️🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷❤️❤️❤️❤️

"Who knows?" -- How utterly charming, gracious, and humble. It's a shame she doesn't consent to more interviews, though it's also quite understandable, considering how idiotic her interviewers are likely to be. Seriously, who mispronounces 'Mozart'?

"I haven't done much in this country" LOL She is a titan of music, wtf she cares about that useless prize given by someone who doesn't even know how to pronounce her name.

ya'll guys need to chill out. He's a politician. Now you can have a politician that honors one of the most moving musicians of our time, or you can have one who doesn't. In an alternate world (or another century) maybe Obama would have composed a piece of music for Argerich to play, etc., but that's not the world we live in. Kudos to Obama for recognizing greatness.

He pronounced her name wrong...

When politics tries to score with arts. Next day they cut some more funds and subsidy.

I'm wondering what they performed on stage in honor of Martha and who was playing it... So wished someone would upload the whole event.

Most beautiful woman on the planet

Wow, this goes to show when they give out these lifetime awards to artists and scientists, they really have no idea who they're giving it to. Well, that and the last thing the recipient wants to be doing is accepting an award for his/her accomplishments. That remark she passed about how she was surprised that she was recognized that evening because she hasn't done much in this country. That has a hidden meaning. She basically said you people are clueless. If you know who this woman is, she must have been hating life. She doesn't talk to anyone and she loves cancelling concerts, but is definitely one of the greatest pianists ever

bravo mr president !

martha argerich, Argentina, la mejor pianista del mundo, algo q objetar?

LOL Obama just read his teleprompter. Obama did not understand what he was uttering, nor did Obama understand the music he was listening to.

Horowitz... Argeritz... what a differentz...))))))))))

One virtuoso describes another in diametrically-different fields of accomplishment.

I met her 3 years ago and thanked her for her art. I brought her debut album (but on a CD) and asked her - in French, because I know that she prefers it over English - to sign it, especially for Jeux d’eau. She was very gracious and obliged. I can certainly understand why she doesn’t give interviews because these reporters…..

💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Браво ! Марта !

"I haven't done much in this country" - putdown of the century so far!

5:19 Ha! That's Al Pacino!

those terrible interviewers....I cringed so much

wtf where did this come from, havent heard from Martha Agerich in a long time?!?!?!

Wow, Martha Argerich getting honoured the same way as James Taylor and Eagles........ What an insult!........Of course they would be much more familiar to Obamas than Martha... And Obama not only mispronounced her name but also stated facts of her bio incorrectly. But Martha took it all in stride and was gracious as always.

Congrats!

Martha having no idea what Facebook live is 3:06 love it

First of all, what a great thing to do. Second, watching Obama being president in this day and age is like taking a warm bath with some nice music (played by Martha!) after having been out in ice cold rain for over a year, not having had a home.

So interesting to see all the petty remarks, ignorant of how artists are chosen, rather than knowledgeable of the praise that this artist deserves. Argerich's technical ability and musicianship are extraordinary, and I am ecstatic to see her recognized in the US. No pianist worth his or her salt could deny her preeminence or begrudge her this award. No outstanding American musician would dispute having been influenced and/or impressed by her work. It is stunning. Oh, and that thing about her hair--sexist.

All this needs is Mischa and it'd be perfect

She doesn't seem to care very much. Those things are not for her.

Obama is speaking about Martha as if he playes the piano himself. I wish there was a man like him in the WH today

Martha was perhaps the most evolved / superior human being there which makes this honor somewhat ,... can't think of the word.

Wonderful honor, but I fail to see how she has contributed in any significant way to musical life in the U.S. (and I think she agrees)...a far more deserving pianist would have been the late Alicia de Larrocha, who should have been awarded during her life, or even posthumously... But I find it a bit shocking that no one told President how to pronounce her name correctly...he clearly has no idea who she is and what makes her talent so great (MA's talent as a pianist easily outshines even his as a politician...and that is saying something!!)

Most of those people have no idea who she is

My goodness Obama is a class act-and, yes, Martha Argerich can play Chopin's Andante Spianato in a transcendent way.