On September 21st, 2025, piano virtuoso Martha Argerich took the stage at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria for an astounding performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. Classical Source editor Colin Anderson described the pianist as fleet and mercurial, and that she “devoured Prokofiev’s solo part.” After an astounding performance of such a demanding piece, she was beckoned back onto the stage for an encore, where she doubled down on her fiery playing.
Argerich unleashed Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 141, a notoriously difficult piece that has become one of her signature numbers. While she has been playing the piece for decades (see her 1983 performance here), it’s clear that she has lost none of her agility or passion – even at 84 years old.
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) was an Italian composer who lived at the height of the Baroque era, but is better identified as an influence on the burgeoning Classical style. He wrote 555 keyboard sonatas, mostly for harpsichord and the pianoforte, which was invented in 1700. As the earliest pianos were made during his lifetime, his works have a special role in the instrument’s growth.
In his dissertation at the University of Alabama, Jiin Lee cites Scarlatti as one of the most important proponents of keyboard technique.
“He raised keyboard technique to a new level of virtuosity by employing prolonged trills, hand-crossings and rapidly repeated notes,” he wrote, “and his sonata K. 141 in D Minor is one of the most famous and challenging of Scarlatti’s sonatas for pianists.”
The piece does, in fact, feature all of those attributes. However, it’s the rapidly repeating notes that often get the most attention. They immediately capture the listener’s attention as the first notes in the right hand while the left hand rolls the accompanying chords.
The piece, which is in 3/8 time, features running 16th notes for most of the melody. Argerich kicks the song off with the dotted quarter note, getting around 110bpm. Playing the opening melody with one finger would be nearly impossible, as you can’t rebound a single digit that quickly. Instead, it takes a rolling alternation of fingers.
Even so, it takes a relaxed feel to keep the music from sounding robotic. Piano teacher Shirley Kirsten notes that Argerich moves her entire wrist back and forth, almost like a sweeping motion, to maintain a smooth sound.
Remarkably, someone even created a slow-motion YouTube video focusing on Argerich’s hands to see what’s happening. Watch closely, and you can see that she’s using a 3-2-1 fingering approach. By utilizing three fingers, she naturally subdivides the 3/8 time into even patterns.
For anyone studying the score, this slow-motion close-up is a gift, but Argerich’s technique is only a part of the story. She actually brings K. 141 to life by marrying clever fingering and a relaxed touch to a fearless sense of play. At 84, she’s still transforming a 300-year-old piece into a living, breathing work of art that brings audiences to their feet.
Follow along with the sheet music for Scarlatti’s Sonata in D minor K. 141:
