Through channeling his intelligent virtuosity toward musical ends, Murray Perahia reveals the distinctive voice of each Chopin Étude, rather than imposing a "one style fits all" aesthetic upon the music. His easy mast... more »ery of the right-hand double-note challenges of Op. 10 No. 7 and Op. 25 Nos. 6 & 8 and the taxing rotary patterns of the famous "Black Key" and "Winter Wind" études enable him to clarify their significant left-hand component. Note, too, the "Octave" étude's long-lined ebb and flow, or a sharper, more aggressive C-sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4, than the one Perahia recorded in the early 1990s. But his unusually brisk take on the E-flat minor (Op. 10 No. 6) trivializes the music's aching harmonic tension, and the two C Minor Études (including the "Revolutionary") are a shade inhibited compared with the unbridled bravura of the versions by György Cziffra (Philips) and Juana Zayas (Music & Arts). These quibbles, however, should not prevent piano lovers from experiencing Perahia's well-considered and superbly engineered interpretations of the oft-recorded masterpieces. --Jed Distler« less
Through channeling his intelligent virtuosity toward musical ends, Murray Perahia reveals the distinctive voice of each Chopin Étude, rather than imposing a "one style fits all" aesthetic upon the music. His easy mastery of the right-hand double-note challenges of Op. 10 No. 7 and Op. 25 Nos. 6 & 8 and the taxing rotary patterns of the famous "Black Key" and "Winter Wind" études enable him to clarify their significant left-hand component. Note, too, the "Octave" étude's long-lined ebb and flow, or a sharper, more aggressive C-sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4, than the one Perahia recorded in the early 1990s. But his unusually brisk take on the E-flat minor (Op. 10 No. 6) trivializes the music's aching harmonic tension, and the two C Minor Études (including the "Revolutionary") are a shade inhibited compared with the unbridled bravura of the versions by György Cziffra (Philips) and Juana Zayas (Music & Arts). These quibbles, however, should not prevent piano lovers from experiencing Perahia's well-considered and superbly engineered interpretations of the oft-recorded masterpieces. --Jed Distler
"The previous review panning Perahia's Chopin Etudes proves there is always someone who will write anything to be contrarian.
Murray Perahia's performance of the Etudes has ALL the technical finesse of Pollini and ALL the musicality of Cortot's cycle. For those who doubt this, just listen to the incredibly balanced right hand arpeggios in the first Etude of Op. 10, the fiery octaves of the B Minor Etude, and the perfect passsagework in the A Minor from Op. 25. Beyond a doubt, the pianist is fully recovered from the thumb injury he suffered in the 1990s. Yet with Perahia, unlike some pianists, technique is never an end in itself, and the quieter Etudes feature the beautiful, natural phrasing we have come to expect from this artist (and Perahia is a true artist, not a mere mechanicus like Cziffra). In other words, this is one of the few sets of Etudes that sustains interest through the slow pieces, not just the fast ones.
Sony's sound is also absolutely first rate, which of course cannot be said for Cortot's set which originated on 78RPM discs. One minor complaint, why didn't Sony persuade Perahia to also record the Trois Nouvelles Etudes?"
A great cd
Erica Ford | Seattle, WA USA | 09/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even if you already own a copy of someone else playing Chopin Etudes, I urge you to consider getting a copy of Perahia's interpretation.One often heard criticism of Perahia is that he is predictable, and therefore boring. Nothing could be farther from the truth in this recording. While you can predict which note comes next, the interpretation is fresh, and an absolute delight to listen to."
Perahia is back!
G. Dillard | New York City | 10/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After hearing Mr. Perahia in Carnegie Hall this past Spring I was amazed at his sense of "structure" he brought to the
Schubert, Beetoven and Chopin pieces in the program. He treated
us (both in program and encores) to some of the etudes heard here
and virtually brought the house down with #11 in A minor as the
first of his several encores. This is a special recording and
I was extremly pleased to see this CD available here last
week. My benchmark for these "studies" was the imcomparable
"Cortot". However, Mr. Perahia not only holds his own with the
latter's "famous" recording back in the early past of the 20th
century but even shines new light on these most famous works!
Mr. Perahia simply goes where most pianists cannot in these pieces! They require a mix of virtuosity, technique,
and poetry (many of the three all at the same time). Perhaps
it's Mr. Perahia's study of Bach; perhaps his interest in a
wide body of music and composers; maybe his work with Horowitz?
Whatever the case, if you love great piano playing, great and
accurate Chopin, or just great music in general, this CD is
a must have! A monumental release from a pianist that continues
to grow and bring pleasure to lovers of great music everywhere!
See him in recital this season if you can!"
The Harmonic World of Chopin's Etudes
Tina Nance | Los Angeles, CA | 09/26/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I very much appreciated the previous two customer reviews of Perahia's Chopin "Etudes". As always, Mr. Perahia is very concerned about the harmonic structure of a piece - the direction of the harmony. Most remarkably, I thought, in Opus 10, Number 1, he delineated the melodic and harmonic structures in the left hand while beatifully spinning out the right hand writing with seeminly effortless control and lyricism. I have listened to this recording every day since I purchased it, and each time I am
amazed as I hear "new" harmonic progressions beautifully balanced by the right hand "melody". Murray Perahia is not just a great pianist; for me, he is also an inspiring teacher who has opened to me the world of structure and form, deeply enhancing my understanding of great music. Glorious!"
Excellent performance!
Erica Ford | 04/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the first Perahia's cd i buy and all i can say is that he's a great virtuoso. I've listened to many pianists on these pieces and Perahia's recording is one of the best. His performance is excellent and the sound quality is superb. Maybe his rendition of the "Revolutionary" Etude is different from other great standards...quite strange. Anyway Murray Perahia's playing on the entire cd is very fluent and balanced. Just great! For other beautiful versions check out: Boris Berezovsky, Andrei Gavrilov, Juana Zayas and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
