What's so incredible is that this is a live performance, not studio recorded and cut or remastered. Murray Perahia is considered one of the greatest living pianists of our day.
What impresses one most about Perahia in general, and this performance in particular, is his extraordinary musicality. He never plays the notes. He plays the music. That distinction means everything, once you see it done. I once heard an extraordinary guitarist (Michael Lorimer) explain in a master class that it takes him about 3 weeks to get the notes, but at least 2 years to get the music. Perahia surely "has" the music, and seems to live INSIDE this piece, speaking to us who are outside. I find what he has to say absolutely gripping.
Indeed, He is a total musician. I've heard him in many contrasting works and he understands each one to perfection. He has no tricks or gimmicks. I guess he is a really decent human being
This is one of the greatest performances ever given before an audience or cameras of the Op. 57 sonata. It is unrelenting in its understanding of the tragedy of the key and the piece. Perahia was a student of Rudolf Serkin, and here he honors his master with a reading as masterful as his teacher's own. The summit of Beethoven's middle period works for unaccompanied piano, this is an astonishing experience - and a remarkable moment for youtube's legacy on behalf of civilization. It is empirical proof that great artists are still among us and lift us up in an age of almost inescapable sentimentality and mediocrity.
@@dingy8764 That comment was a year ago and I was new to classical music, Lang Lang was the one that made me listen and explore the Classical world, so I was pretty biased at the time and I don't know how performance and interpretations work and I also don't know about performers (only Lang Lang) but right now I agree. Murray Perahia is a master and Lang Lang is indeed like a student compared to him, and my first comment saying "Lang Lang has better one" I think they both are nice just depends on you there's no bad performance between these two.
I rarely use the word best on a single interpretation, but this time I am obligated to say that Perahia conveys the single best interpretation for the Appassionata. Magically sensitive playing. Barenboim is a close second.
A can't get enough from Beethoven & Perahia. What I love in this interpretation is the complete absence of pathos. There's only the piano, the player and the composition, and this makes an outstanding piece of music.
WOW! That was an INCREDIBLE performance! I didn’t want it to end. I believe that is as close as I’m going to get to seeing Beethoven perform this in the flesh. The range of emotion this piece possesses is outstanding.
What I love about his playing is that it is completely devoid of ego - he lets the music do the talking. One of the best performances of this work ever. The master.
you can't really say any pianist plays the beethoven sonatas best. Beethoven is very unique in you pick your favourite pianist for each sonata on a case by case basis. Murray also smashes opus 10 nr 3 out of the park imo.. My pick for most consistent artist over all 32 is Kempff 1951 but wouldn't by any stretch say that he plays all or even half of them better than anyone else. Schnabel still owns the last 3.
I understand you well. Because of the lockdown different artists had pre-record their performance for this years Casals festival. I was applauding from my living room.
Just brilliant! No words to describe how stunned I was after the final chords. One should compare this to a symphony rather than a sonata. So deep and tremendously complex and moving it is.
Just came from watching a masterclass of his. He totally fulfills everything he himself was conveying to the student: very clear ideas, it's almost as if he's speaking through the piano.
Never ever thought I’d hear the No. 23 played like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Probably the best Beethoven rendering I’ve heard in my long life. And this includes Backhaus and Kempff and, yes, Serkin.
One of the greatest performances of the Beethoven piano Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 that I have ever heard. Murray Perahia is one of the greatest pianists of our time and I am grateful that you uploaded this video.
It was once on RU-vid couple years ago, then just disappeared. It's definitely one of my favorite performance of n°23 Really appreciate of your upload!
Thanks so much for post. To me the best Apassionata performance. I don't know how Perahia does it. Flawless technique at tempo all the way through, including the grueling prestissimo at the end. And it's all musical. Everything fits. Never a letdown. Beethoven comes through at his most passionate and thrilling.
Essa é uma das mais complexas sonatas de Beethoven. Não é uma sonata para ser tocada por qualquer pianista, mas a interpretação de Murray Perahia é uma das minhas favoritas. Ele soube tocar muito bem essa sonata em seus três movimentos, cada uma, aliás, mais difícil do que o outro. O movimento central, escrito à maneira de hino, é esplendoroso e não dá espaço para descanço quando um "atacca" já prenuncia o último movimento que dispensa qualquer comentário em se tratando do modo dramático com o qual Beethoven se valia para expressar seus sentimentos e sua arte. Essa sonata, no conjunto das 32 sonatas solo para piano, ao lado da Sonata ao Luar, da Patética, da Hammerklavier é uma sonata de dificílima execução e se constitui num verdadeiro desafio para qualquer pianista que se preze. Meus parabéns Murray Perahia, sua execução é digna de honra e de louvor. Não sei eu, não sabemos ao certo como Beethoven a executava, mas sua partitura fala por si.
THe power that must feel when he jams like that. Amazing musicianship and dedication. Mind blown.....no sheet music either. Just straight jamming that shit
Pianists rarely perform solo repertoire reading sheet music. Richter did, but not many others. On the other hand, Gould played by memory even in chamber music.
Emotion, technique, interpretation, all superb and under exquisite control. Whether it's Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, or anyone else Perahia is always tops.
I totally agree with these statements. Amazing and I believe one the most difficult pieces to play. Genius writing and genius performance. Andrew Belfast
Thank you for bringing us the elegant beauty and genius of Beethoven interpreted to perfection 🌹🌷💐🌾🥀 One would never interrupt the music 🎶 of such a virtuoso ✨🎹🥂🍾🌻💕
Thank you dad for making me learn about this sonata and this only, and thanks Perahia for making me feel emotions in a song I never thought was possible before.
That audience should have been on their feet. Just goes to show how unappreciative people are today in the presence of greatness. At least one man yelled "Bravo"
Such a GREAT Performance!!! Is he over 70 years old - and still sound so great??? I heard a lot of His performance, and I still love his piano. Thank you.
La Sonata para piano Nº 23 en fa menor Opus 57 de Ludwig van Beethoven, conocida como Appassionata (apasionada), es considerada una de las tres grandes sonatas de su período medio (las otras son la Sonata "Waldstein" Op. 53 y la Sonata Les adieux Op. 81). Fue compuesta en Döbling, un pueblo cerca a Viena en 1804, dedicada al conde Franz von Brunswick y publicada por el Bureau des Arts et d'Industrie. La Appassionata fue nombrada así por el editor. Beethoven se indignó con el nombre, pues creía que todas sus obras estaban escritas para tocarse apasionadamente y no sólo ésta. Beethoven terminó el tercer movimiento de su Sinfonía n.º 5 con una tensión irresuelta. Sin pausa entre los movimientos, sigue el cuarto con una fanfarria triunfal. A semejanza de éste, aquí también hay un breve momento de tensión sin resolver al terminar este movimiento intermedio (una pausa un poco más breve que en la Quinta). Pero, a diferencia del triunfo de la Quinta, este movimiento final anuncia en sí la agonía y tiene una coda desesperada. Movimientos: 1. Allegro Assai. Es un allegro de sonata sin repeticiones en compás 12/8 y dura cerca de 10 minutos. Pese a su duración, esta pieza se va moviendo entre rápidos cambios de tonalidad y súbitos cambios de dinámica. El tema principal tiene un ritmo característico, como un ritmo punteado, pero con una proporción de 5:6, en lugar de una de 3:4, que es difícil de tocar. El escoger la tonalidad de fa menor se hace obvio cuando se nota que el movimiento hace uso frecuente del ámbito grave y oscuro del fa más bajo del piano, que era la nota más grave del instrumento en aquella época. El movimiento es tranquilo y algo lento al inicio, interrumpido por grupos de acordes tocados rápidamente. 2. Andante con moto-attacca. 3. Allegro, ma non troppo - Presto. El tercer movimiento es un allegro de sonata en el cual, muy inusualmente, sólo la segunda parte habrá de repetirse, según las indicaciones. El movimiento es un perpetuum mobile, con rápidas semicorcheas que sólo son interrumpidas en el desarrollo y en la coda. El movimiento es de naturaleza compleja, rápida y agitada, con rápidas semichorcheas interrumpidas sólo en el desarrollo y coda. Ha recibido varios adjetivos de parte de los críticos: "apasionada", "desesperada" y "que quita el aliento".
If truth be told Ludwig van Beethoven would raise from his grave to listen to this epochal performance by Murray Perahia. Perahia's recording in his youth was amazing in its own right. But this is played on holy ground. Thanks for posting this!
Ive never heard Perahia sound like this . His earlier Beethoven series was less colorful , varied , demonic . Here he can be cold then hot immediately . He hates percussive sounds so I must find his op.106 ! The phrasing timing between motifs really make this music what it is 3:14-3-50 is famous. I was told years ago tension is created by doing the repeated notes same finger but he does it musically right his way . Then again he is Perahia and can do the seemingly impossible ! I have to get this dvd !
One of his greatest and most technically challenging piano sonatas, the Appassionata was considered by Beethoven to be his most tempestuous piano sonata until the twenty-ninth piano sonata (known as the Hammerklavier)[from wiki]. 1803 was the year Beethoven came to grips with the irreversibility of his progressively deteriorating hearing.
