Review: Murray Perahia at The Sage Gateshead

Jan 20 2010 by Thomas Hall, The Journal

THE Sage Gateshead added to its tally of must-see pianists with the debut of London-based New Yorker Murray Perahia, a musician who has overcome the odds in style since a hand injury he sustained in 1990 forced a series of career breaks.

But Perahia turned to conducting an in-depth analytical study of the music. He's been injury-free since 2008 and is back on top form, bringing pieces from his core repertoire to a well-populated Hall One where barely a fidget or a cough disturbed a near reverential atmosphere.

Bach as the foundation of a recital including Beethoven and Chopin makes perfect sense as, like Perahia, the latter two knew his music inside out: how simultaneous melodic lines might be subtly weighed against each other to best effect or how they might cascade together in glorious unanimity as in Perahia's illuminating account of the Partita No.6 in E.

Beethoven's Piano Sonata op.109 in E takes the counterpoints and theme and variations of Bach's day to new dimensions. But Perahia's flights into the sublime are always informed by an understanding of the underlying framework so however dramatic, whimsical or abstract the concept, the connections between phrases, sections and movements are never lost to the listener.

The Chopin selection was wide- ranging (a Ballade, Nocturne, Scherzo, Etudes and Mazurkas) with Perahia finding the right mood and character throughout.

The generous encores of another Chopin Nocturne and Schubert's Impromptu op.90, no.2 won long applause but, for me, the Beethoven will stay longest in the memory.