Murray Perahia's Chopin Etudes: A Review

Maybe I know now why this set is very close to my heart. It is a question of emphasis. Many associate Chopin's etudes with their power to astonish and bedazzle and tend to forget the music making. But here, Murray Perahia shifts the emphasis and returns the spotlight back onto the music. However, do not let this introduction deceive you into thinking that Perahia's playing here is not up to the technical demands of these works. He is a virtuoso of the highest caliber, even when he is also the elegant pianist who plays Bach and Mozart!

When we look at the slower etudes, we find Perahia excels. He avoids a slow tempo and goes for a flowing cantabile tempo without jeopardizing the melancholy. He employs rubato effectively and tastefully. His Op.10 No.3 is a great success and one of the greatest interpretations I heard. In Op.10 No.6 he aims for a bel canto treble melody with the faster-than-usual approach. I also find his Op.25 No.7 very beautiful, but still won't surpass Cortot's.

Now to take a look at some of the show-stoppers; the tantalizing arpeggio notes in the Op.10 No.1 are clear and impressive. Although in the Revolutionary Etude, Op.10 No.12, I find his left hand somewhat subdued and lacks some turbulent action, but Perahia achieves full drama and excitement only by his right hand, making these chords speak up the fury as never before. The opposite happens in the Op.10 No.8 where Perahia's thoughtfulness shines in the bass. And again in the ‘Ocean' etude; he gives utmost care to the melody carried by the accented bass notes; and his changes in tempo and dynamics aid the drama effectively. Play this etude back-to-back with Pollini's, and you'll be surprised to find that Pollini will sound monotonous and heavy-handed in comparison.

However, this set does not come without some minor drawbacks; although the technique displayed is stupendous, but not every diligent fingerwork falls in its place effortlessly; The ‘Butterfly' Op.25 No.9 is completely out of shape; and his extra focus on ‘the music' in the Winterwind calls for trouble, yet I won't call it weak. Nevertheless, this never detracts from the superb music on the disc.

Perahia's tone on this set is beautiful and Sony's engineering is superb. His approach is certainly less heavy-handed than Pollini's recording and obviously more musical; and his utmost respect to a flowing melodic line within the plethora of notes wins my heart. And, like Cortot before him, Perahia succeeded to execute something different from the rest. For now, this has become my favorite modern set.

Ahmed Bassiouny