Chopin Etudes

Fryderyk Chopin (Artist), Murray Perahia (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00006JKG8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,332 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #63 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Etudes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Through channeling his intelligent virtuosity toward musical ends, Murray Perahia reveals the distinctive voice of each Chopin Étude, rather than imposing a "one style fits all" aesthetic upon the music. His easy mastery of the right-hand double-note challenges of Op. 10 No. 7 and Op. 25 Nos. 6 & 8 and the taxing rotary patterns of the famous "Black Key" and "Winter Wind" études enable him to clarify their significant left-hand component. Note, too, the "Octave" étude's long-lined ebb and flow, or a sharper, more aggressive C-sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4, than the one Perahia recorded in the early 1990s. But his unusually brisk take on the E-flat minor (Op. 10 No. 6) trivializes the music's aching harmonic tension, and the two C Minor Études (including the "Revolutionary") are a shade inhibited compared with the unbridled bravura of the versions by György Cziffra (Philips) and Juana Zayas (Music & Arts). These quibbles, however, should not prevent piano lovers from experiencing Perahia's well-considered and superbly engineered interpretations of the oft-recorded masterpieces. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, Exciting, and Inspiring..., June 15, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chopin Etudes (Audio CD)

The previous review panning Perahia's Chopin Etudes proves there is always someone who will write anything to be contrarian.

Murray Perahia's performance of the Etudes has ALL the technical finesse of Pollini and ALL the musicality of Cortot's cycle. For those who doubt this, just listen to the incredibly balanced right hand arpeggios in the first Etude of Op. 10, the fiery octaves of the B Minor Etude, and the perfect passsagework in the A Minor from Op. 25. Beyond a doubt, the pianist is fully recovered from the thumb injury he suffered in the 1990s. Yet with Perahia, unlike some pianists, technique is never an end in itself, and the quieter Etudes feature the beautiful, natural phrasing we have come to expect from this artist (and Perahia is a true artist, not a mere mechanicus like Cziffra). In other words, this is one of the few sets of Etudes that sustains interest through the slow pieces, not just the fast ones.

Sony's sound is also absolutely first rate, which of course cannot be said for Cortot's set which originated on 78RPM discs. One minor complaint, why didn't Sony persuade Perahia to also record the Trois Nouvelles Etudes?

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Harmonic World of Chopin's Etudes, September 26, 2002

By 

Tina Nance (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin Etudes (Audio CD)

I very much appreciated the previous two customer reviews of Perahia's Chopin "Etudes". As always, Mr. Perahia is very concerned about the harmonic structure of a piece - the direction of the harmony. Most remarkably, I thought, in Opus 10, Number 1, he delineated the melodic and harmonic structures in the left hand while beatifully spinning out the right hand writing with seeminly effortless control and lyricism. I have listened to this recording every day since I purchased it, and each time I am
amazed as I hear "new" harmonic progressions beautifully balanced by the right hand "melody". Murray Perahia is not just a great pianist; for me, he is also an inspiring teacher who has opened to me the world of structure and form, deeply enhancing my understanding of great music. Glorious!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great cd, September 27, 2002

By 

Erica Ford (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin Etudes (Audio CD)

Even if you already own a copy of someone else playing Chopin Etudes, I urge you to consider getting a copy of Perahia's interpretation.

One often heard criticism of Perahia is that he is predictable, and therefore boring. Nothing could be farther from the truth in this recording. While you can predict which note comes next, the interpretation is fresh, and an absolute delight to listen to.