Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Murray Perahia, Bernard Haitink :: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Perahia Impresses With Musicality and Beautiful Tone

02/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Murray Perahia is regarded by many as the pianist's pianist. He shows the highest level of musicianship and preparation, which more than compensates for his narrow repertoire as a Mozart specialist. He simply never makes an ugly sound on the piano, and he never turns a phrase poorly or unmusically. There is a reason why pianists flock to his concerts and treasure his recordings: his musicianship is truly impeccable. While some of his more recent performances have shown an unusual number of technical mistakes, this performance comes from his series of the complete Beethoven piano concerti recordings in the 1980s with Haitink and the Concertgebouw when Perahia was in top form. For those who like their Beethoven with excessive Romanticism or virtuousity from the late 19th century retroactively applied, Perahia will disappoint (while Fleisher and Ashkenazy might be considered more appropriate); for those who value careful craftsmanship and a beautiful tone, Perahia will satisfy. Let's hope that he decides to undertake a cycle of the complete piano sonatas next."

Great Sound and great performances

grandpiano_57 | Burlington, CT USA | 01/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I want to say the sound on these CD's is superb. The warmth and clarity is outstanding. The dynamic range is just as it should be. The quiet moments are quiet but not lost, as is so often the case. As far as the performance goes, I find them true to the spirit of the compositions. These concertos do represent a very classical Beethoven who was still learning to write for the Symphony. To impose some pseudo or artificial romanticism on these classical sonatas would be ghastly. In fact, that is my very problem with the Klemperer/Barenboim rendition of these same pieces (the quiet sections of which you cannot here unless you are using headphones, or sitting in TOTAL silence, certainly not driving or working at a PC!). There is a wonderful genuine expression on these Perahia/Haitink recordings that bring life to this music. Outstanding!"

Genius of Beethoven & Perahia is magical & inspirational.

Jack Morris | Amityville, New York USA | 06/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These pristine concertos are perfectly rendered by Perahia. They are uplifting, inspirational and capable of transforming the listener. Perahia's work is magical! Haitink and the Concertgebouw provide excellent balance and support."