Normally record companies are very reluctant to present
a mix of composers on a disc, but this EMI Debut series often does just
that, and the result is virtually a public recital in the privacy of
your own home. This is a fine disc by a promising talent, and no prizes
for guessing Miss Perlman’s background. The clarity of her articulation
is extremely impressive from the very opening, almost harpsichord sound
she produces in Bach’s C minor Toccata, while the fugal strands which
conclude the piece (Track 1 : 3’:23") draw the ear naturally in
a lucidly cohesive account. The toughest work lies next in this chronologically
compiled recital, Beethoven’s Op.109, and the reference to it merely
by its opus number puts it in the same league as the late sonatas and
string quartets, even though the composer referred to it rather nonchalantly
as a ‘new little piece’ in one of his Conversation Books. Navah Perlman’s
performance takes no hostages, meets its technical demands head on (Track
3: 01’.18"), especially in the extended variation form of the finale,
and plumbs the music’s emotional depths (Track 5 : 01.10") with
the freshness of her youthful years. Her love for and commitment to
these works motivates her playing, particularly as she sets off down
the road of Romantics, starting with Mendelssohn and concluding with
the love-soaked Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, via two exquisitely
played Chopin nocturnes.
As Navah Perlman writes, ‘This programme was developed
very simply. These are pieces that I love’, and it shows too.
Christopher Fifield
Navah Perlman (piano)