So, what is it about Martha Argerich that leaves her audiences cheering and screaming and clapping at her mere presence onstage? She is perhaps the greatest living pianist of our time, with a following every bit as rabid and loyal as that of any major rock star or band, and her fans can be forgiven for thinking her one of those who breathes the rarefied air of Mt. Olympus.

In my own case, it was upon hearing Martha's rendition of J.S. Bach's Toccata in C minor that I became an instant convert. Simply out of curiosity, I purchased the Deutsche Grammophon "Legendary Recordings" reissue (featured that month in the Borders music store), disc unheard, since the listening device was on the blink at the time. My reaction to the Bach CD, in a few words? Completely stunned. Never before had I heard my beloved Bach played with such freshness, spontaneity, clarity and joy!

Naturally, that led to more Argerich CDs sneakily finding their way home with me. Although I've always loved Sergei Rachmaninoff's famously romantic (and fiendishly challenging) Piano Concerto No. 3, I thought I heard a new work altogether with Martha's live version, the one in which Riccardo Chailly and the RSO Berlin struggle to keep up with the blinding speed of her performance. That live recording of both the Rach 3 and the Tchaikovsky 1 kept me spellbound from first bracing chord to last.

Although I was never a huge fan of Frederic Chopin nor Franz Liszt before, Martha quickly put me right with her readings of their works, such as the former's Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 and the latter's Sonata for Piano in B minor and Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major. Her playing of these generated a deep excitement in me that I'd never experienced with other pianists' versions. (For a simple comparison, and with apologies to fans of Evgeny Kissin, listen to Martha's gently lyrical Barcarolle and contrast that with Kissin's lifeless version on the latter's 1999 Chopin CD on RCA Victor. )

And what about her Ravel? Her shimmering Jeux d'Eau remains unsurpassed to my ears. And her Prokofiev? It was through Martha's 1997 recording of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 (with Charles Dutoit directing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra) that I finally submitted to the odd charms of this 'cacophonous' work. A work that, while chock-full of percussive, occasionally dissonant elements, also retains a beautiful lyricism in the slower sections that Martha brings wondrously to light. In this CD she displayed a more mature, relaxed side to herself, one who nevertheless continued to thrill her listeners in her unique way.

I do think it's the ever-present danger of Martha's snapping all lines to safety, of constantly hovering on the brink of uncontrolled madness, that accounts for much of the excitement in her performances. Her demonic tempos have drawn accusations of "playing too fast" from a few quarters, and I have to concede that she does this on very rare occasion. However, what truly amazes me is her ability to play with affecting nuance even at such great speeds. Most others who play fast lose all color and expressive shading in the process. Not so with Martha.

And so it came to pass that I miraculously found myself within spitting distance of this goddess of the piano, on that special evening of April 8, 2002. In the Isaac Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall, the air was so charged with electricity you could probably power your home (and many more) in the summer with it. I think I left the concert that night in a bit of a daze, still incredulous that Martha had actually been onstage about an hour before, performing live, for the benefit of some two thousand fortunate listeners that happened to include the beau and myself.

Finally, I must thank Martha for sharing her incredible gift with us mere mortals. Today, classical music (including opera!) makes up nearly a hundred percent of my listening experience, thanks to Martha Argerich, who opened new vistas in the endlessly fascinating and sometimes mysterious world of classical music for this erstwhile dabbler.

I have written up some recordings and a live concert of hers on my Epinions.com webpages, and if any readers are curious enough, I provide links to these reviews below. (These are thoroughly amateur write-ups, but all are written from the heart.)