Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia

Murray Perahia (Artist, Performer), Frederic Chopin (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Murray Perahia
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (December 29, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B000002A6J
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,445 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Ballads

Track Listings

1. Ballade for piano No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, CT. 2

2. Ballade for piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 38, CT. 3

3. Ballade for piano No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47, CT. 4

4. Ballade for piano No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52, CT. 5

5. Waltz for piano No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 18, CT. 207

6. Waltz for piano No. 5 in A flat major, Op. 42, CT. 211

7. Nocturne for piano No. 4 in F major, Op. 15/1, CT. 111

8. Mazurka for piano No. 7 in F minor, Op. 7/3, CT. 58

9. Mazurka for piano No. 13 in A minor, Op. 17/4, CT. 63

10. Mazurka for piano No. 23 in D major, Op. 33/2, CT. 73

11. Etude for piano No. 3 in E major, Op. 10/3, CT. 16

12. Etude for piano No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 10/4, CT. 17

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any Chopin lover!, May 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia (Audio CD)

I have gotten to know Murrray Perahia better through his wonderful CD on Schuberts Impromptus. My listening to Chopin was more directed towards Rubenstein and Michelangeli. This CD is an eye-opener to the artistic diversity and capacity of Murray Perahia. The Ballads show depth, sensitivity, and drama. The CD has instantly earned its place among my favorites.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!, April 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia (Audio CD)

I don't agree with the reviewer below who finds these "too perfect." Some people have found Perahia's earlier recordings of Mozart and especially Beethoven poetic but at the same time lacking weight and gravitas. Well, that's certainly not the case here, because not only does Perahia produce a consistently beautiful sound, he also does full justice to the music's more passionate outbursts. This is very distinguished Chopin playing, and the miniatures (programmed after the Ballades) make me hope for complete recordings of Chopin's other piano music (Etudes, Preludes, Nocturnes, Waltzes, etc.) from this artist. The sound is demonstration-quality, except that the bass is just slightly heavy. All the same, this is an unmissable recording!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Set of Ballades, March 17, 2009

By 

J. Grant "Reviews for the average Joe" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia (Audio CD)

I'm not a great fan of Murray Perahia. I've never been able to quite put my finger on why, though. He seems to be sensitive to what the composer wishes and he is technically brilliant, but he (in most cases) just doesn't seem to be able to draw me in. That being said, I think this is one of his better efforts, and the sound is very good. I would rate the Ballades about equal to Earl Wild's set, but below Arrau's. Of course, nobody can touch Rubinstein on these works. I will add that the smaller works that fill out the disc are very well played. All in all a nice intro to Chopin, but you would be better off spending the ridiculously low price of about $30 and get Rubinstein's box set.