Search - Murray Perahia :: Perahia Plays Chopin

Another missed opportunity

pianophile8 | College Park, MD | 06/08/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is basically a box into which five previously-issued (and still available) single CDs have been placed. Nothing new here. Unfortunately, due to ignorance, laziness, or both on the part of Sony's executives (are they even familiar with their own catalog?), Perahia's superb 1976 recording of all 26 (not 24!) Chopin Preludes is not here. In fact, it seems never to have been reissued on CD (except possibly in Japan). Owing to the relatively short playing time of two of the CDs included, a simple reshuffling of material could easily have accommodated the Preludes without adding another disc. For shame! A major missed opportunity and another vivid example of the deterioration of the classical recording industry.



Perahia's Chopin playing has been deservedly praised and needs no further endorsement here. For that reason the absence of his recording of the Preludes is to be deplored.



"

(-) Nice but Pointless Salon Chopin Box

C. Pontus T. | SE/Asia | 06/05/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Sony BMG, in spite of serious mismanagement, at least has not forgotten about the Chopin anniversary: the 15-disc 'Chopin 200' and 5-disc 'Kissin Plays Chopin' box sets were recently joined by this 5-disc collection of Perahia's complete Chopin playing to date--excepting his 1985 performance of the E-minor Concerto with the NYP under Mehta.



To this reviewer, Perahia is the ideal salon pianist, without pejoration--light touch, nice tone, solid technique and impeccable taste--which is probably why I find so much pleasure in his Mozart Concertos (something that I do not from many other supposedly great exponents). Analogously, Perahia's Waltzes and Impromptus are highly enjoyable as are some of his Etudes. However, his Sonatas, Ballades, Barcarolle and Fantaisie lack the heft, depth and passion in which the music abounds. Perahia's Concertos sort of falls somewhere in between: captured live in 1990, they have relatively more abandon and fire, although they lack the brilliant youthfulness of Kissin and the spontaneous freedom of Argerich.



So, where does that leave us? Adding the price tag into the equation, the $35 outlay (even more in Europe) does not really make this set a bargain as all the individual discs are still available at some $5-9 each. Therefore, I am not sure I quite see the point in bringing this box to the market--unless some remastering has been undertaken, which is much needed as to the terrible 1970s CBS sound of the two Sonatas. Again, sadly, Sony BMG's website provides no information whatsoever in this direction as it does not even list the box; hence, the more than deserved added minus.



REFERENCES: Ballades--Demidenko; Concertos--Kissin; Other--Ohlsson



PS: To follow up on an earlier thread, of course, I do not even hope for the obvious Chopin anniversary box-set reissue from Sony BMG--Katsaris's extraordinarily exciting and idiosyncratic Chopin cycle, initiated in the early 1990s but only reaching its third volume before being scrapped and soon made unavailable."