Martha Argerich & Claudio Abbado

So what is it that makes this dual portrait by Ilse Buhs so special? Firstly, the balanced but complex composition of the picture: the microphone stands punctuate the background at regular intervals and provide a strong vertical element. At the same time, multiple diagonal lines of various angles add dynamism and energy to the picture. By its very nature, a square image such as this will always have a far more clearly defined centre than will a traditional rectangular portrait or landscape format. And it is precisely at the centre here that we find the pianist and conductor’s hands, so essential to both musicians’ artistry. The technical specifications of the kind of camera – medium format – used by the photographer enable a shallow depth of field which emphasises the foreground and so gives sitters a particularly three-dimensional appearance.

If composition and technique are the foundations of this picture, its true magic lies in the connection between Abbado and Argerich. The artists display a casual elegance in terms of their clothing, posture and attitude, their expression one of quiet seriousness. Buhs captured a moment of stillness and deep mutual understanding – a moment that requires no words, a moment at which these musicians are at one with themselves and with each other.