Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 127; Piano Sonata, Op. 101

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Murray Perahia (Conductor, Performer), Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Murray Perahia
• Orchestra: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
• Conductor: Murray Perahia
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (November 16, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00049QOGG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,179 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: I. Maestoso - Allegro

2. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: II. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile

3. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: III. Scherzando vivace

4. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: IV. Finale

5. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: I. Etwas lebhaft, und mit der innigsten Empfindung. Allegretto ma non troppo

6. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: II. Lebhaft, Marschmässig. Vivace alla marcia

7. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: III. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll. Adagio, ma non troppo, con affetto

8. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101: IV. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr, und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An eccentric transcription and an Op. 101 that sometimes fires, sometimes misfires, November 16, 2008

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 127; Piano Sonata, Op. 101 (Audio CD)

Murray Perahia has been a traditionalist all his life and as such has recorded a good deal of Beethoven, but his forays into the sonatas have been intermittent. He was apparently shy of approaching the late sonatas, and after this Op. 101 from 2004, no more followed. I think I can hear why. He's not temperamentally sympathetic to the unruly, jagged aspects of Beethoven's final imagination. To compensate, the pianist constantly rounds off the sharp curves and flattens the abrupt accents. This attempt to tame the sonata is misguided to begin with, I'm afraid.

The main failing is in the first movement, with its many odd gear changes. The quick-march second movement and brief Adagio go well enough, although the latter fails to sound mysterious despite Perahia's accomplished touch. Perahia seems happiest in the finale, where his ability to clarify the left and right hand is remarkable. The music comes alive with wit and sparkle -- not the only way to approach this music, but entertaining in its brio.

As for the string orchestra transcription of the Op. 127 quartet, Perahia turns out to be an appealing conductor, and the ASMF play with obvious affection. Is this a successful version? Well, the first movement turns out to be a refreshing srenade for strings in its new guise, and the slow movement holds it own. But the last two movements were tailored to the sound and teture of a string quartet, too much so for massed strings to sound right.