Track Listing

1. Suite No. 5 In E Major, Hwv - Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Air
5. Chagonne In G Major, Hwv
6. Suite No. 3 In D Minor, Hwv - Prelude
7. Allegro
8. Allemande
9. Courante
10. Air
11. Presto
12. Suite No. 2 In F Major, Hwv - Adagio
13. Allegro
14. Adagio
15. Allegro
16. Sonata In D Major
17. Sonata In B Minor
18. Sonata In C-Sharp Minor
19. Sonata In D Major
20. Sonata In A Major
21. Sonata In E Major

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56991 in Music
• Released on: 1997-02-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 69 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
While performances of Scarlatti sonatas on the piano remain as popular as ever, Handel's keyboard music is rarely so performed, perhaps an acknowledgement both that it does not show its composer at his best, and that it does not respond so well to being taken away from the harpsichord for which it was intended. Murray Perahia's surprising venture into this baroque repertoire, however, is a resounding success. His Handel is by turns warm, eloquent and grand, and as sparklingly clear as any harpsichord performance. Virtuosity is also well to the fore in the famous "Harmonious Blacksmith" variations. The Scarlatti sonatas are nevertheless what the disc will probably be remembered for most; the wide-ranging expressiveness of these quirky and eclectic little masterpieces has always benefited from good pianistic interpretation, but Perahia--while not grabbing the music's every moment as Mikhail Pletnev's highly regarded two-disc alternative does--scores high marks for his responsiveness to the many moods of this music, of which poetry and poise are the ones his highly cultured and faultlessly voiced playing serves best. You may not think you like harpsichord music on the piano, but the sheer refinement of a musician like Perahia is hard to resist. --Lindsay Kemp

Customer Reviews

Why can�t all piano records be as good as this?
"Why can't all piano records be as good as this?", Gramophone's reviewer asks himself as he sets out to describe the many treasures, hidden and otherwise, of this remarkable achievement. Why, indeed. Which, of course, calls forth the question: shouldn't this repertoire be performed on that most individual and idiosyncratic of instruments, the harpsichord, for which it was originally conceived? I am a convinced authenticist--I can no longer bring myself to listen to Baroque (or earlier) music that is not performed on period instruments: somehow it just doesn't sound right. And yet I am a great admirer of Perahia's accomplishments: it is not everyday that one finds such faultless technique, such command of shades and nuances, such surprising insights, such reserved, yet overwhelming lyricism, such versatility of touch--so apparent, for instance, in his masterly presentation of Chopin's Piano Works (1994, strongly recommended). So it was with mixed feelings, and equipped with the necessary dose of scepticism, that I first played this CD. Well, it is unique. Everything one has learned to expect from Perahia is here; and, if possible, even more. He does not pretend that this is piano music; but by means of sheer artistry he succeeds in making wonderful piano music out of it. This is not to say that the more distinctive features of harpsichord music are lost on him: he is brilliant, crisp, and fast enough when needed. Simply, instead of merely mimicking the sound and feel of the harpsichord (a risky and usually unrewarding venture), he tries to make sense of these scores from a pianist's point of view. It seems to me that this approach reveals more than it conceals: for instance, the Harmonious Blacksmith Variations (Suite N. 5 in E Major, HWV 430) quite unexpectedly acquire a softly hypnotic ring which I found very appealing. The virtuosity is astounding, so second-nature that it almost fails to impress. The sound is excellent. (Two or three of the Scarlatti tracks were perhaps recorded at a slightly lower volume than the rest--but I might be wrong.) Handel (1685-1759) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) were contemporaries. Before heading off for what would become their adoptive countries (England and Portugal, respectively), the two player-composers even met twice, the first time in Venice, and then in Rome, where a trial of skill was held (Scarlatti turned out to be perhaps the better harpsichordist, while Handel excelled at the organ). The Handel pieces were all composed in Germany or in Italy, and are therefore early, pre-England works (before 1718), while the pieces by Scarlatti date from the 1730s, his Portuguese period. The tracks were recorded in 1996 in Vienna and Neumarkt, Germany. The booklet is mildly enlightening.

Best piano playing on CD ...
Well maybe that is a bit exaggerated but it certainly ranks way up there with the best.

I was fortunate enough to see Murray Perahia perform a number of these pieces in Oxford during the period leading up this recording. Handel's Chaconne in particular stuck in my mind after the concert as it had a profound affect on me. I am not one moved to tears often but the tears flowed in the concert and they still flow when I listen to this recording.

The "Harmonious Blacksmith" is another astonishing piece on piano.

In fact the whole album is astonishing. The playing is precise and clear at all times, as baroque music should be, but Mr Perahia manages to avoid a mechanical approach, injecting humanity into the music without sentimentality.

I could waffle on for ages but all you need to know is that this album is truly breathtaking and should be in every music lovers collection.

Heck buy two copies so you can keep one in the car permanently ;-)

Just a pity Handel and Scarlatti couldn't hear it!

A brilliant revelation
This CD is wonderful. Perahia plays with consummate skill and reveals the extraordinary beauty and grace of the chosen pieces. Anyone who loves piano music need not hesitate but should buy this CD immediately! Set aside any notions of the difficulty sometimes encountered listening to harpsichord or fortepiano transcriptions. This music is lyrical, limpid, flowing and of great beauty. I am sure that for anyone unfamiliar with Scarlatti (or Handel) it will be a revelation and will quickly become one of their favourite recordings of solo piano music. Magical.