Murray Perahia has certainly come a long way since winning
the Leeds Piano Competition in 1972. Looking back on Perahia’s
career there have been some really magnificent recordings. My
two
particular favourite Perahia discs from my collection have
been the outstanding recitals:
•
the Chopin selection that feature the four
Ballades and
a selection of
Nocturnes;
Etudes;
Mazurkas etc.
Recorded in Switzerland in 1994 for Sony Classical on SK
64399, and
•
a selection of 15 of Mendelssohn’s
Songs Without
Words;
Bach/Busoni four
Choral Preludes and
Schubert/Liszt four
Song Transcriptions. The disc
was recorded in 1997 at New Jersey, USA and 1998 in London
on Sony Classical SK 66511.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the
New York City-born
pianist. Murray Perahia
faced a professional catastrophe when a finger injury looked
like ending his career. Sometimes one grows stronger through adversity and Perahia’s enforced absence from the keyboard has
clearly enabled him to relish his second opportunity as a
concert pianist.
Perahia’s recent come-back has seen him adopt
a higher profile. There has been his new release of J.S.
Bach’s
Partitas 2,
3 and
4 on Sony
Classical 88697226952 also a reissue of the complete
English
Suites on a double set for Sony Classical 88697310502.
Few can forget Perahia’s re-appearance, after an absence
of twenty years, at the 2008 BBC Proms playing Mozart’s
Piano
Concerto No. 24 in C Major with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra under Bernard Haitink.
This Sony release from Perahia comprises Beethoven's
Piano Sonatas 9,
10, 12 and 15. I understand the disc is the first volume
in Perahia’s projected Urtext edition of the complete Beethoven
sonata series.
The first score on the disc is the four movement
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 from 1801 that Beethoven dedicated to his
patron Prince Karl Lichnowsky. The generally lyrical score
opens with a splendid
Andante a theme and variations
played by Perahia with authority, grace and beauty and I
loved the
Scherzo so brisk and buoyant. In the outer
sections the solemn third movement funeral march ‘
For
the death of a hero’ is given an interpretation of a
respectfully solemn tread. Perahia is exhilarating in the
central section at 2:01-3:00 providing explosions and fireworks
perhaps evocative of guns and cannons. I was struck by the
sheer energy and confidence of Perahia’s playing of the burbling
closing
Allegro.
Both opus 14 scores were composed in 1798-99 and
dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun whose husband was director of the Royal and Imperial Theatre in Vienna. The
Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1 is an
unassuming score cast in three movements. I enjoyed the poise
and vigour from Perahia in the opening
Allegro who
has chosen to convey a rather sombre and dark interpretation
of the central movement, marked
Allegretto. Perahia
brings out the light and varied dance-like rhythms of the
cordial final movement
Rondo -
Allegro comodo that
includes an unexpected display of vigour at the conclusion.
The good-humoured
Piano Sonata No. 10 in G
major, Op. 14/2 also follows the three movement design.
I marvel at Perahia’s exuberance in the opening
Allegro and
in the contrasting central movement he accentuates the
march-like theme and provides a bright and sparkling performance
of the miniature set of variations. Perahia in the
Scherzo,
finale brings
a bustling and boisterous conclusion to the score.
The generally sunny
Piano Sonata No.
15 in D major, Op.
28 ‘
Pastoral’ is dedicated to Count Joseph
von Sonnenfels. It was Beethoven’s
publisher Cranz of Hamburg who allotted the title of ‘
Pastoral’ owing
to the even-tempered manner of the four movement score.
Perahia conveys glowing, autumnal tones of nature to
the opening
Allegro and buoyant and crisp rhythms
to the contrasting stately march of the
Andante.
I especially enjoyed Perahia’s mischievousness in the
brisk
Scherzo and the splendid variety of moods
and energies that Perahia communicates to the attractively
rustic
Sonata-
Rondo,
Finale.
Recorded in Berlin at the Rundfunkzentrum
the close sound is vividly clear and well balanced. The essay
in the booklet notes is interesting, yet strangely, I could
find no information on the
Sonata No. 15 in D major,
Op. 28 ‘
Pastoral’. I also noticed that the composition
date of the group of four sonatas, Opp. 26, 27 and 28 is
given in the text as 1831. This should be 1801 as Beethoven
died in 1827.
These marvellous Beethoven interpretations from Murray Perahia feel
so natural and fresh, combined with an astonishing level
of assurance. This recital is a splendid achievement and
deserves to be in every Beethoven collection.
Michael
Cookson
Murray Perahia
(piano) 
