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Disc "Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4" reviews John Greene "CLASSICSTODAY" After Murray Perahia's much lauded solo performances of Bach's English Suites and Goldberg Variations, Sony offers his first recording of keyboard concertos with orchestral accompaniment. As with his cycle of Mozart concertos, Perahia conducts from the keyboard, allowing him complete artistic control--and it works wonderfully here, arguably better than it did in the Mozart. You'll be struck by Perahia's ability to heighten the drama, nobility, and sheer joy of Bach's music through the unity he elicits between soloist and ensemble. A particularly telling example of this occurs early on in the final movement of the Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052, where Perahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' continuous interweaving figures vividly animate the music. Never shy when it comes to embellishment, Perahia seizes every opportunity. In harmonious juxtaposition, the ASMF accents each of his final downbeats with what seems to be just the right response. Never is there any sense of disparity (as with Gould/Bernstein or Rousset/Hogwood) or worse, excessive homogenity (Schiff/COE). In this sense, the only other recording of these pieces that compares would be the Trevor Pinnock cycle with The English Concert. Regardless of the piano-harpsichord/original-instrument-modern-instrument differences between the two, both Pinnock and Perahia bring a similar unified dash, fluidity, and integration to their respective readings. Sony's sound is very good. Perahia's Steinway is somewhat up-front, but not overly so. The handsome, well designed booklet includes informative, trilingual notes by George Stauffer. Perahia fans need not hesitate. Others, particularly those who enjoyed Perahia's brilliant take on Bach's Goldberg Variations, would do well to take a chance on this recording as well. Highly recommended! Songs Samples CD1 Disc "Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7" reviews Jed Distler "CLASSICSTODAY" Like its predecessor, Murray Perahia's second volume of Bach Keyboard Concertos sets new standards for performances of these works on the modern concert grand. Indeed, even harpsichordists can learn loads from the pianist's subtle variations of articulation in the D major concerto's Finale and the G minor's slow movement, or from his breathtakingly aligned trills and runs in the F major (an effective keyboard transcription of the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto). Note, too, the F minor concerto's wonderful dynamism and fullness of texture. In its gorgeously spun-out slow movement, listen to how sensitively the theorbo intertwines with the murmuring plucked-string accompaniments. What we wouldn't give for a Fifth Brandenburg from these musicians! Sony's warm, resplendent engineering further guarantees a state of Bachian bliss for lucky listeners who purchase this disc. Who says that golden age pianism is a thing of the past? Songs Samples CD2 Disc "Bach: Keyboard Concertos BWV 1044, 1050, 971" reviews R. G. W. Brown "Physicist & Flutist "Amazon"Bravissimo! Perahia's dazzling performance culminates in the cadenza in the first movement of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. This superb recording stands in stark contrast with the boring antiquarian stuff of the "historically informed" performance fad that may have prevented an entire generation of music fans from enjoying an important pianistic tradition connected with this concerto. I do not know of any recording of this concerto played on a modern piano since the legendary mono recording by Edwin Fischer made in the 1950s. The Triple Concerto and the Italian Concerto also give splendid testimony of exquisitely shaded modern piano performances. Highly recommended. Songs Samples CD3 |
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