I've been looking forward to playing this disc for ages, as soon as i saw this release i said 'yes!', what a great album, with a great selection of Brahms's best works, all by a great Pianist, a dream come true, rather than rush out and buy the thing at full price, i've waited patiently to find one cheap, and i got this new for £5, however now i wonder what all the hype was about, even though Perahia hits all my repertoire buttons [Chopin's Etudes / Bach's Goldberg / Schubert's Impromptus / Schubert's Late Sonatas etc], each time i'm left wondering 'what's so special about this guy anyway?', there's lots i disagree with, and he just doesn't seem to have that magnetism that the truly greats have, there's moments of awkward staccato where i think 'is that meant to be in the score?', and yet maybe i'm making too much out of it all, as there's certainly a lot more to enjoy than there is to worry about, but on a first listen maybe i just need to hear this disc some more before coming to definite conclusions, but still a great joy to listen to this stuff.
Murray Perahia is American, he's now 65, and he made this recording in 2010, the front cover portrait [by Felix Broede] is absolutely superb, a shot capturing Perahia in a reflective mood, hands clasped like lovers, formal attire, but shorn of the tie, a nice uncluttered background, and yes it's full of greys, which makes the lettering colours stand out all that more, and the lettering is great, with Perahia / Brahms emblazoned across the front, and in smaller letters the works, however the back inlay is rather boring, and there's no real breakdown in the track listing, but i still feel it's a great visual concept, well done Sony, one of the best covers i've ever seen.
I bought this disc mainly for the Handel Variations, and the Piano Pieces [Op118-119] are a plus, i didn't factor in the Two Rhapsodies, and would you know it, they were the pieces that i loved the most on this listen, or rather the First Rhapsody, they are both pieces in turmoil, and both in the Minor key, this one is in B Minor, turbulent and dark, it's in the same key as Schubert's Eighth Symphony, a certain restlessness pervades, Brahms instructs 'agitato' across the top, there's a certain anger in the opening pages from Perahia, reminiscent of Brahms's Third Sonata, but it gives way to this ethereal and lovely oasis of calm and beauty [1:41-1:58], it's so welcome but so short lived, and right after Perahia hammers away, too loud in my view, breaks the spell, plus i notice that the recording is too brittle, there's not enough warmth, lots more anger, and this might be considered Brahms's 'Hammerklavier', but just when you think the same oasis is starting up [3:20+], it turns into a new oasis of tunefulness [3:32-5:35], this one's a lot longer, and it certainly lives up to name of Rhapsody, it goes all over the place, and inbetween these long outbursts of anger, another short oasis appears at first [6:26-6:45], there's a lovely coda in surprise at the end [8:11-8:58], with reminiscences of the tunes throughout, played in thoughtful retrospect, i just loved the way it all intersperses with anger and calm, rather like good cop / bad cop!.
Here's Murray Perahia playing the First Rhapsody on YouTube.
I bought this disc mainly for the Handel Variations, and the Piano Pieces [Op118-119] are a plus, i didn't factor in the Two Rhapsodies, and would you know it, they were the pieces that i loved the most on this listen, or rather the First Rhapsody, they are both pieces in turmoil, and both in the Minor key, this one is in B Minor, turbulent and dark, it's in the same key as Schubert's Eighth Symphony, a certain restlessness pervades, Brahms instructs 'agitato' across the top, there's a certain anger in the opening pages from Perahia, reminiscent of Brahms's Third Sonata, but it gives way to this ethereal and lovely oasis of calm and beauty [1:41-1:58], it's so welcome but so short lived, and right after Perahia hammers away, too loud in my view, breaks the spell, plus i notice that the recording is too brittle, there's not enough warmth, lots more anger, and this might be considered Brahms's 'Hammerklavier', but just when you think the same oasis is starting up [3:20+], it turns into a new oasis of tunefulness [3:32-5:35], this one's a lot longer, and it certainly lives up to name of Rhapsody, it goes all over the place, and inbetween these long outbursts of anger, another short oasis appears at first [6:26-6:45], there's a lovely coda in surprise at the end [8:11-8:58], with reminiscences of the tunes throughout, played in thoughtful retrospect, i just loved the way it all intersperses with anger and calm, rather like good cop / bad cop!.
Here's Murray Perahia playing the First Rhapsody on YouTube.
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