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Murray Perahia’s deeply rewarding recital featured Beethoven’s monolithic Hammerklavier piano sonata, prefaced by works of Bach and Schubert.

Soon to be seventy, Murray Perahia and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields give full expression to the life force that is Beethoven, in their continuing cycle of the piano concertos.

Murray Perahia plays Haydn, Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.

Bernard Haitink and Murray Perahia bring a lifetime of experience, frequent collaboration, and an evergreen musicianship to bear on a program of Beethoven and Mahler.

A memorable programme of Schumann from Bernard Haitink and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. 

Bernard Haitink presides over a performance of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra which was “Just So” – everything in its place.

A concert built on works central to the classical piano repertoire demonstrated Murray Perahia's understated virtuosity and his ability to allow the music to speak for itself.

Driving home after Murray Perahia’s stunning recital at the Barbican last night I found myself thinking: why is he such an extraordinary pianist? Some pianists have an incredible rhythmic sense, some technical wizardry, others a delicate musical sensibility, but rarely are all these and many others qualities combined in one artist. But this was how I was left feeling on that drive home.

A broken crane dangles precariously over 57th Street near Carnegie Hall at the moment. Thankfully for the hall it seems the danger has passed, but rather than cancel this concert along with so many others in New York over the past week, Carnegie delayed the recital from Friday to Sunday and moved it to Avery Fisher Hall.

Beethoven's music in general, and the Fourth Piano Concerto in particular, is on the cusp between the Classical and the Romantic: the Classical forms are stretched to their limit but left unbroken, while Beethoven provides plenty of opportunity for a Romantically-minded interpreter to charge off in any number of wild directions.

The Vienna Philharmonic has received a mixed reception at the Proms in recent years, but this programme of Beethoven and Bruckner with Murray Perahia and Bernard Haitink, which was performed in Salzburg this weekend and tours to London next week, will be sure to be met with critical approval.There were however moments during the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.

Murray Perahia’s programmes are always tidily thought through, exploring interrelationships between pieces and building progressively, often from Bach to Chopin via Beethoven. This was no different, with Bach and Chopin the bread to a sandwich of late Brahms and lesser-known Beethoven and Schubert. Though the Chopin was a little abrupt, this was a thorougly satisfying concert.

There was a distinct buzz in the air prior to this evening’s highly anticipated recital, a rare solo appearance by American pianist Murray Perahia. His recital at the Barbican Hall sold out months ago, with tickets selling fast before the programme had even been announced.