Murray Perahia - Brahms - Handel Variations (Sony.2010) (2010) 24-96 Studio Master Murray Perahia - Brahms_Handel Variations Op. 24_Rhapsodies Op. 79_Piano Pieces Opp. 118 & 119 Artist: Murray Perahia Album: Brahms - Handel Variations Op. 24; Rhapsodies Op. 79; Piano Pieces Opp. 118 & 119 {Sony, SM 24bit 96kHz} Genre: Classical Brand/Label: Sony Item Number: Studio Master 24bit 96kHz Release Date: 2010 Pdf booklet with texts and translations included 01 - Handel Variations, Op. 24 Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79; 02 - I. No.1 Rhapsody in B minor Agitato 03 - II. No.2 Rhapsody in G minor Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118; 04 - I. No.1 Intermezzo in A minor Allegro non assai, ma molto appassionato 05 - II. No.2 Intermezzo in A major Andante teneramente 06 - III. No.3 Ballade in G minor Allegro energico 07 - IV. No.4 Intermezzo in F minor Allegretto un poco agitato 08 - V. No.5 Romance in F major Andante 09 - VI. No.6 Intermezzo in E-flat minor Andante, largo e mesto Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119; 10 - I. No.1 Intermezzo in B minor Adagio 11 - II. No.2 Intermezzo in E minor Andantino un poco agitato 12 - III. No.3 Intermezzo in C major Grazioso e giocoso 13 - IV. No.4 Rhapsody in E-flat major Allegro risoluto Disc reviews Andrew Clements "The Guardian" It is apparently almost 20 years since Murray Perahia last recorded any Brahms – the F minor sonata and an assortment of later piano pieces – and Brahms has never been a composer with whom he has been particularly associated. This new collection, though, is a revelation, not only in the introspective late pieces of Opp 118, and especially 119, where one might have expected Perahia's deeply personal vein of lyricism to come to the fore, but in the more extrovert Handel Variations, too. The virtuoso challenges of that set are met without ever drawing attention to their brilliance, and the way in which Perahia almost imperceptibly ratchets up the tension is exemplary. There's never a feeling of beefy muscularity in his playing – it's too aristocratic for that – but equally, there is weight when it's needed. The Op 79 Rhapsodies balance power and poetry perfectly, the two sets of late pieces colonise their subtly different worlds with effortless ease. All hugely impressive. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/18/brahms-handel-variations-rhapsodies-op-79-review Disc reviews Bryce Morrison "Gramophone" It may be 20 years since Murray Perahia’s last 
Brahms release 
but the wait has 
been gloriously worthwhile. For here, once more, is a pianist who achieves the highest musical quality with the most economical means. Time and again Brahms’s potential for strenuousness and opacity is clarified with a superfine musical intelligence and technique. The opening Aria from the Handel Variations is unusually thoughtful and considered, and in the sciolto of Var 14 he conveys all of Brahms’s riotous brilliance while characteristically remaining in superb control. Hear his hushed withdrawal at the start of Var 22, as if the music’s magical chime was heard from a great distance; and, per contra, I doubt whether the concluding and exultant fugue has often been given with a more formidably yet lightly worn articulacy in its entire history. This is a performance for those poor souls who, amazingly, take a dim view of Brahms’s keyboard variations. Translucent voicing and texture characterise Perahia’s way with the Op 79 Rhapsodies and most of all the Opp 118 and 119 Intermezzos. Perahia achieves a burning clarity (even when the music is marked piano and sotto voce) at the start of Op 118’s concluding Intermezzo, bringing a wealth of concentrated detail and an impeccable line and impetus to this heart-stopping epic in miniature (if the paradox be allowed), a mirror of the inner desolation that afflicted Brahms both early and late in his life. Try Op 119 No 1 for a poetic intensity and subtlety uniquely Perahia’s and you may well wonder when you last heard a pianist with a more patrician disregard for all forms of bloated excess or exaggeration. There are, of course, other approaches to these works – Katchen’s stunning opulence and theatricality in the Handel Variations (Decca, 2/91), Lupu’s crepuscular magic in the late Intermezzos (Decca, 8/87) or Argerich’s early and inflammatory genius in the Rhapsodies (DG, 2/93, 6/95) – yet I doubt whether a pianist more finely attuned to every harmonic and rhythmic subtlety has existed since Lipatti. This disc, finely recorded, forms a vital part of Perahia’s crowning return after several years of debilitating illness. http://www.gramophone.co.uk/chart/review/brahms-handel-variations Disc reviews Dominy Clements "musicweb" This release sees Murray Perahia returning to Brahms after a significant series of excellent Bach recordings for Sony Classical. His 1991 Sony recording of the Sonata No.3 has an assortment of Intermezzos and Rhapsodies as a filler, but this new disc sees Perahia taking the later opus numbers head-on, working up to them chronologically via the Handel Variations and Rhapsodies Op.79 which, as Katrin Eich says in her booklet notes, each represent an ‘end point’ at certain stages in Brahms’ compositional output. As far as I’m concerned the standard against any recording of Brahms’ solo piano variations is that set by Garrick Ohlsson on Hyperion CDA67777. Both players’ timings for the whole piece are fairly similar. Ohlsson is marginally more stately in the opening theme, but with only a slight extra measure of lightness in touch Perahia is about 30 seconds swifter overall, which over 25 minutes isn’t appreciable. The differences in character are present, but I initially found it harder than I imagined to expose telling contrasts and any clear preference. I like Ohlsson’s chunkily rhythmic first variation, but appreciate Perahia’s more spacious lyricism in the second. These are the kinds of swings and roundabouts which one finds, and in the end life is too short to split hairs over what, after all, are two excellent recordings. Ohlsson’s piano sound is a little richer and given greater bloom in the bass; Perahia’s is tighter and ultimately a little better balanced over the entire range. In the end, it is Ohlsson who gets my laurels for the fun and funky variations - Perahia for his singing expressive range in the lyrical ones, though both are also excellent in each variety of variation. The richer Hyperion bass line, for instance, gives the canonic sixth variation a special quality for Ohlsson. Perahia chooses to link the notes with a kind of quasi-legato feel in the con vivacità seventh variation, when the score clearly asks for accents and staccato. He gets away with this somehow, and the relationship with the 8th variation’s gallop is certainly more exciting. I’m also intrigued by the way he softens the last few sf octave entries in this piece where the score makes no suggestion of a diminuendo. Murray Perahia is clearly his own man, and even with this certain amount of license in the Variations the piece as a whole and all its individual elements work very well indeed. I still very much love Garrick Ohlsson’s performance, but if forced to choose then in the end Murray Perahia wins me over with his alchemy with the variations such as the 12th, and his greater sense of funereal narrative in the subsequent 13th, which Ohlsson does charge at somewhat, even though it is marked f espress. He also pretty much ignores the più mosso marking in the 17th variation, which Perahia uses to quasi-crank up the tension. This is reversed by Brahms in the waterfall of the 18th variation and the disarming lilt of the 19th which is light and detached with Perahia, more sostenuto with Ohlsson which reduces the vivace effect a little. These are all marginal points of detail and matter less when taken in isolation. I do however find myself agreeing with Perahia more often than with Ohlsson in the end, so it’s a win on points for Sony Classical, though I still stand by my choice of Garrick Ohlsson’s recording as a top recommendation for the Brahms variations as a complete set. Perahia’s is a performance which marries power and majestic technical prowess with a clarity of vision and sensitivity of touch in the tenderness of the lyrical variations which is compelling and irresistible. As far as power goes, it’s almost as if the instrument itself is only just capable of sustaining the impact of those chords at 25:14 under Perahia’s mighty heft, but Ohlsson himself pushes the recording equipment to its limits as well near this point, so it’s about honours equal in this particular superhuman string-bending competition. The remaining works can be compared with Radu Lupu’s classic recordings on Decca, now available in a highly desirable box set. Lupu’s playing is monumental and symphonic, while at the same time highly poetic and sensitive to the humanity of Brahms’ expressive world and distinctive sonorities. Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu have worked together as extremely successful duo partners and clearly have a similar empathy in their desire to achieve truth in the composers they perform. In other words, there is no ‘better than’ in any comparison which can be made: I shall always want to have both around, though perhaps for subtly different reasons. If anything, Perahia outplays Lupu in the symphonic stakes when it comes to the Rhapsody Op.79 No.1. He is positively explosive in the ‘starting block’ opening theme and each of its repetitions. Lupu is more lyrical in the subsequent material, with Perahia separating notes and creating greater contrast and a certain ‘spring’ in his step, something which Lupu paints with a wider brush. Both pianists are masters of colour, though with the benefits of a more detailed and brighter piano sound Perahia gives the impression of wider variety. Perahia takes broader rubati in the Rhapsody Op.79 No.2, with Lupu more connected and describing a greater arc, Perahia’s approach taking us through a sort of labyrinth, with each section a subtly different world, but each with a terrifying and awe-inspiring sense of grandeur. Even more rhapsodic than the Rhapsodies, the Klavierstücke Op.118 offers the pianist every opportunity to reflect the potential of every aspect of their instrument to maximum effect, from high drama to the utmost lyrical tenderness. I love Radu Lupu’s luminous playing in these pieces, especially in the movingly melodic second and fifth pieces, as well as his thundering resonance in the thicker-textured and more impassioned works. Murray Perahia once again benefits from a more transparent and communicatively recorded piano sound, but is also the equal and at times the preferred option in terms of performance. Take the Ballade which is the third of the pieces. Lupu drives forward in a compact and dramatic fashion, excelling in the contrasts between the lyrical and the strikingly impressive. Perahia leaves just a little more air around the notes, giving the music a more narrative flavour without robbing it of its dramatic character. There is more surprise in the revelations which follow each transition as well, provided by a more heightened sense of anticipation. Whatever the comparative pluses and minuses, Perahia delivers at every crucial point, with a masterfully emotive second Intermezzo, eschewing superficial sweetness but still creating a marvellous atmosphere of the right kind of sentiment. There’s a little sonic ‘ghost’ which pops up at 2:34 in this piece, but this takes nothing away from a performance here and elsewhere in an Op.118 collection which will have you coming back for more, time and again. Just as a parting comment on this work, and while the subject of ghosts is still in the air, don’t you find something spectral and genuinely haunting in the way Perahia plays the fantasy-like introduction to the final Intermezzo? Haunting and hauntingly beautiful moods are also created in the Klavierstücke Op.118, with Perahia at one with Brahms’ soulful longings, sense of loss and regret, and core of strength from creativity and the human spirit. The first B minor piece is particularly moving, a far greater canvas than its three and a half minutes suggest. Lupu is beautiful here as well, lingering just a little less and with perhaps a shade tighter palette of range and colour, but still getting to the heart of the message. Where he does linger more is in the Intermezzo in E minor, taking a whole minute longer than Perahia, who seeks to dance more in the central waltz section. Good humour and a kind of infectious laugh come across in Perahia’s Grazioso e giocoso third Intermezzo, and the wonderful final gestures will have you giggling with incredulity. There’s little to choose between him and Lupu here, though I suppose Perahia wins marginally in terms of ‘wit’. The final work is a Rhapsodie marked Allegro risoluto, and Perahia builds something of a fortress with the opening chords, again taking a more spacious view than Lupu, but at the same time creating a larger-scale structure from which to hang the rest of the piece. The ‘lighter’ central section is sheer delight here, the tightly arpeggiated accompanying chords and subtle touches in the bass lines and harmonies creating something genuinely Brahmsian and really rather magical. To conclude; this is a superbly recorded piano disc of some of the best romantic repertoire ever written for the instrument, played by one of the finest performers of our time at the peak of the mature phase in his career – and you’re asking me if it’s recommended? http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Jan11/Brahms_Perahia_88679794692.htm#ixzz2BqFkf4VZ http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88697727252 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7oZFVs_Ixw -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.qobuz.com/album/murray-perahia-brahms-handel-variations/0884977615388?qref=dpa -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Murray Perahia, Piano / Brahms - Handel Variations Op. 24; Rhapsodies Op. 79; Piano Pieces Opp. 118 & 119 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR14 -0.94 dB -21.22 dB 26:03 01-Händel Variations, Op. 24 DR14 -0.18 dB -20.87 dB 9:02 02-Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79: Rhapsodie in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1 DR13 -2.79 dB -21.38 dB 6:15 03-Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79: Rhapsodie in G Minor, Op. 79, No. 2 DR12 -4.27 dB -19.57 dB 1:51 04-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Intermezzo in A Minor, Op. 118, No. 1 DR13 -8.50 dB -26.70 dB 5:09 05-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2 DR12 -4.36 dB -20.94 dB 3:30 06-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Ballade in G Minor, Op. 118, No. 3 DR12 -4.34 dB -22.29 dB 2:28 07-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Intermezzo in F Minor, Op. 118, No. 4 DR12 -12.28 dB -29.33 dB 3:55 08-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Romance in F Major, Op. 118, No. 5 DR14 -1.78 dB -22.96 dB 5:01 09-Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118: Intermezzo in E-flat Minor, Op. 118, No. 6 DR14 -4.54 dB -28.59 dB 3:31 10-Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119: Intermezzo in B Minor, Op. 119, No. 1 DR13 -6.08 dB -23.81 dB 4:15 11-Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119: Intermezzo in E Minor, Op. 119, No. 2 DR13 -4.10 dB -22.71 dB 1:41 12-Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119: Intermezzo in C Major, Op. 119, No. 3 DR13 -0.17 dB -18.40 dB 5:10 13-Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119: Rhapsodie in E-flat Major, Op. 119, No. 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 13 Official DR value: DR13 Samplerate: 96000 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 24 Bitrate: 1912 kbps Codec: FLAC ================================================================================