
In this article, we recount the debut of the great piano legend at the Teatro Colón. We include a masterful performance and images of the program from that debut which changed history.
By Virginia Chacon Dorr
It’s an obvious truth today to say that Martha Argerich is one of the greatest piano performers in history. But everyone has to take their first steps, even towards greatness.
To celebrate the birthday of this prominent pianist, we look back at her debut at the Teatro Colón. This significant event in her life and in the history of the Teatro Colón reflects the pattern of her other achievements, marked by her intense artistic capability and the admiration she inspires.

The girl pianist, her biography in the program
Let’s imagine for a moment that vivacity, that strength and sensitivity in the fingers of an 11-year-old girl… because that’s the age Argerich was when she stood in front of Washington Castro’s baton on the stage of our first coliseum.
“For the first time at the Teatro Colón, the girl pianist María Martha Argerich is presented, born in Buenos Aires on June 5, 1942.”
That’s how the biography begins in the program booklet. Yes, even with the error in the year of birth: she was actually born in 1941.
But the rest of the information provided is correct and astonishing: at such a young age, she already had concerts under her belt where she interpreted works by Bach, Couperin, Mozart, and even sonatas by Beethoven.
One concert stands out, which she gave in ’47 at the Teatro Astral, where she performed Mozart’s Concerto in D minor K. 476 and Beethoven’s No. 1 under the direction of Vicente Scaramuzza (the prodigy’s teacher), accompanied by the Orchestra of the Teacher’s Association. Two tours around the country add to all this.
Over time, Martha will say that her mother was crucial in her career from the start, carefully choosing the girl’s teachers and concerts. The following is the complete biography that appears in the program.
“For the first time at the Teatro Colón, the girl pianist María Martha Argerich, born in Buenos Aires on June 5, 1942, is presented in a concert, accompanied by the Buenos Aires City Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Washington Castro, interpreting Schumann’s Concerto in A minor Op. 54.
She began her studies with Ernestina Corma de Kusrow, making her first public appearance at the age of four, performing works by Bach, Couperin, Mozart, and Beethoven. In 1947, she continued her theoretical and dynamic piano studies with Maestro Vicente F. Scaramuzza, being presented in the Beethoven Sonata cycle organized by the National Postal Savings Bank.
In 1949, under Maestro Scaramuzza’s direction, she performed again at the Teatro Astral, interpreting, among other works, Mozart’s Concerto in D minor, K. 476, and Beethoven’s No. 1, Op. 15, on which occasion she was supported by the Orchestra of the Teacher’s Association.
She also performed in radio soloist cycles, being conducted on that occasion by Maestros Luis Gianneo and Alberto Castellanos. Lately, she has made two tours around the country offering various recitals.
Currently, she continues her advanced studies as a disciple of Maestro Francisco Amilcarelli.”
What piece did she debut with at the Teatro Colón at 11 years old?
None other than Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, a piece that accompanied her throughout her career. That evening also featured Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Luis Gianneo’s Pericón, and Alfredo Casella’s ballet suite La giara.
The Company
The Buenos Aires City Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1946 as the “Symphony Orchestra of the Municipal Theater,” was the Buenos Aires city’s first exclusively symphonic official orchestra. Initially conducted by Lamberto Baldi and Jaime Pahissa, it offered its first concert at the Municipal Theater on May 21, 1947. Since then, it accompanied ballet performances and occasionally opera. In 1948, it changed its name to the “Symphony Orchestra of the City of Buenos Aires,” and in 1953, the Teatro Colón became its permanent headquarters. In 1958, it adopted its current name, the “Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires.” Below are the names of the musicians who were part of the orchestra at that time.
Violins
Caracciolo Luis (Concertmaster)
Gaivironsky Carlos (Asst. Concertmaster)
Sensabastiano Julio
Seleson Abraham
Altomari Gabriel
Natola Hermesinda
Piccione Carlos H.
Baraviera Romeo
Cabeza Jorge
Cerrutti Carol Fany
Vuillard Raúl
Carfi Amilcar
Dugour Gilberto
Simms Carlos
Zmrutjian Rodolfo
Cantafio Luis
Marrapodi Salvador
Rollieri Emilio
Alberti Enrique (Leader)
Lattero Alfredo
Arietti Harold
Miravet Rodrigo
Gutiérrez Armando
Alio Lidia E.
Vidal Luis
Epelbaum Aarón
Baraviera Elsa G. de
D’Amore Osvaldo
Rochwerger Saúl
Tagliadini Hugo
Perego Alberto
Violas
Rho Armando (Soloist)
Hita Cordon Agustín
Rascher R. Dora
Salguero Lucio
Sturm Ada
Espinosa Luis A.
Campins Bernardino
Ritterstein Guillermina
Gietzen Alfredo
Bazzan Guerrino
Iurlina Higinio
Cellos
Curti Emma (Sup. Solo)
Del Gaizo Angel M.
Molo Angel
Lucchelli Yolanda C. de
Storani Enrique
Hahn Heriberto
Laniella Manuel
Fanelli Adriano
Double Basses
Rovira José (Soloist)
Suárez Arévalo Juan
Saraceno Raúl
Rovatti Estradivario
Francesconi Aladino
Molo Romeo
Flutes
Levy Gerardo (Soloist)
Kiernan Paulina E. de
Albano Luis
Davagnino Luis (Piccolo)
Oboes
Perona Alfredo (Soloist)
Ehrenhaus Germán
Pacioti Guido
Guarnieri Mario (English Horn)
Clarinets
Guigui Efraín (Soloist)
González Ramón
Barrios Osvaldo
Paz Ismael
Saraceno Roque (Bass Clarinet)
Bassoons
Chiambaretta Pedro (Soloist)
Merenzon Alberto
Di Leo Ariel
Trógolo Bartolome (Contrabassoon)
French Horns
Faure Enrique (Soloist)
Parrondo Roberto M.
Rossi José
Russo Claudio
Ambrosioni Carlos
Trumpets
Mastrovincenzo Eriodade (Soloist)
Mazzeo Francisco
Furgiuele Osvaldo
Trombones
Mazzitelli José (Soloist)
Golinsky Gregorio
Elechter José
Cusato Horacio
Timpani
Lo Moro Romualdo
Timpani and Asst. Timpani
Molé Salvador
Xylophone and Accessories
Colom María del Carmen
Cymbals and Accessories
Schiariti José
Bass Drum and Cymbals
Giarrusso Mateo
Harps
Vassara Tosca B. de (Soloist)
Cassinelli Luisa
Piano and Celesta
Fontenla Jorge
Orchestra Inspector
Cerrutti Ernesto O.
Chief Music Archivist
Canudas Alfredo B.
Correcting Copyist
Gambina Juan
About Maestro Washington Castro
Washington Castro Podestá was born in Buenos Aires on July 13, 1909. He was the fourth and youngest son of the notable cellist and luthier from Neda, Juan José Castro Piñeiro (1864-1942), and the Argentine Luisa Podestá (1876-1914). Like his father and three of his older brothers (Juan José, José María, and Luis Arnoldo), Washington dedicated himself to music as a composer, teacher, cellist, and conductor. He studied composition with Honorio Siccardi and cello with his brother, José María, and Alberto Schiuma.
Washington Castro began studying cello at a young age with his father and his brother José María. In 1920, he traveled to Paris to study with Maurice Marechal but returned to Buenos Aires due to economic difficulties, continuing his training with José María and later with Alberto Schiuma. He played in cafes, weddings, and cinemas, which gave him great skill and knowledge of various musical genres. In 1937, he played as a soloist at the Teatro Colón for Pau Casals, who invited him to study in Europe, but the Spanish Civil War and personal problems prevented him. In 1939, he created the Buenos Aires Cello Association, and in 1945, the Haydn Quartet. He was the principal cellist and assistant conductor of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra, as well as a soloist in the Symphony Orchestra of Radio el Mundo. In 1971, he made a successful tour of Europe sponsored by the Argentine government, and after retiring, he became a founding member of the Argentine Association of Classical Performers in 1989.
Washington Castro began as assistant conductor of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra in 1946 under the tutelage of Lamberto Baldi. In 1947, he conducted his first concert in Mar del Plata, having learned conducting autodidactically, influenced by his brother Juan José and other famous conductors. In 1948, after Baldi’s resignation, he assumed the interim directorship, facing the challenge of conducting Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale,” with his brother’s support. In 1956, he founded the Santa Fe Provincial Symphony Orchestra, conducting it until 1963, and then was director of the symphonies of Córdoba, Mar del Plata, and others. As a guest conductor, he led important Argentine orchestras and continued conducting even after retiring.
Following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Juan José and José María, Washington Castro dedicated his life to composition. His prolific work encompassed a variety of musical formations, including piano and soloist duos, orchestras with soloists, and wind sextets. His music explored various themes, from pictorial art, as in “Pictures of Picasso, Symphonic Suite” (1983), to religious matters, as in “Symphonic Comments for the Passion of Our Lord” (1956), and even personal tributes, as in “Monologue: Tribute to José María Castro.
Technique and Sensibility
The rest of the story is already well-known: alone or accompanied on stage, Martha, María Martha, is the pianist who conquered the world with a technique matched only by her own sensitivity.
She played, won, left everything, played again, and won again. She developed a unique temperament that allowed her to build a career of the same quality.
Today, she avoids solitude on stage, leaving behind (like breadcrumbs) wonderful duos and concerts with the company she desires.
All that remains is to enjoy her performances and wish her many more years of music, for her joy and ours.
Here’s a historical record of Martha Argerich’s debut concert on social media.
*We thank the Documentation Center of the Teatro Colón and its director Inés Urdapilleta for access to the images.
Leer también:
Martha Argerich en un recital de antología brindado en 1969 en el Teatro Colón
Entrevista a Martha Argerich, Alan Kwiek, Graciela Reca y Mauricio Vallina