Murray Perahia

Over a career spanning nearly 45 years, Murray Perahia has become one of the most sought-after and esteemed pianists of our time. In his performances of cornerstones of the piano literature—from Bach and Beethoven to Chopin and Liszt—he offers timeless lessons in sensitivity, refinement, and intensity of expression. While his approach directs attention to the music rather than the interpreter, he stands in the tradition of the great piano virtuosos as an artist possessing consummate technique, inexhaustible imagination, and an almost mystical power of expression. Perahia's piano playing, considered outstanding even during his studies and matured over more than four decades, provides insight into the spiritual quality of music, its communicative abilities where words fail. "I enjoy playing the piano," he says. "I love this instrument. I think it holds many secrets that we need to uncover." Perahia's lifelong quest for these secrets is well-documented in his recordings. The pianist's extensive discography continues to grow, thanks to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, announced in September 2016. Just one month later, his first release on the yellow label, J. S. Bach's French Suites, appeared and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Solo Album category. His first recordings of Beethoven's "Hammerklavier Sonata" and "Moonlight Sonata" are scheduled for February 2018. Through his partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, Perahia intends to record further works that are particularly close to his heart. "Recordings offer the chance to revisit compositions, to find a new emotional and intellectual access to them, and to explore the masterpieces of piano literature at every stage of one's own development," he explains. "It is particularly important to me to revisit the music of composers like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Brahms. Their inexhaustible art is a constant source of inspiration for me." Murray Perahia's status as one of the most outstanding artists of the present day is clearly reflected in his schedule for the 2017/18 season. It began with Beethoven's piano concertos on a major European tour with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, an ensemble of which he has been Principal Guest Conductor since 2000. In January 2018, he will perform with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv and Haifa, conducting Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 from the piano and Schumann's Symphony No. 2. This will be followed by a series of recitals in China, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and the USA, as well as in renowned concert halls such as Stockholm's Konserthuset, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, London's Barbican Centre, and Philharmonie de Paris. Highlights of past seasons include his first Australian tour in 2013 with performances at the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne; lectures, discussions, and recitals as Humanitas Visiting Professor in Chamber Music in 2015 at the University of Cambridge; Schumann's Piano Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink; Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst; and in 2016, Beethoven's "Hammerklavier Sonata" in Europe, the Far East, and the USA. His affinity for Beethoven is affirmed by his co-editorship of all the composer's sonatas for the G. Henle Verlag Urtext edition, a demanding, ongoing project that began in 2002. Among his recordings are Grammy-winning albums featuring Chopin's Etudes Opp. 10 and 25, Bach's English Suites Nos. 1, 3, and 6, and Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Perahia has received nine Gramophone Awards, including the 2017 Instrumental Award for his first album with Deutsche Grammophon, numerous Grammy nominations, and has been honored with many other coveted recording prizes. His accolades include honorary membership of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London, the 1997 Instrumentalist Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society, honorary doctorates from the University of Oxford, the Royal College of Music, the University of Leeds, the Weizmann Institute, the Juilliard School of Music, and Duke University, as well as the Arrau Medal from the Robert Schumann Society. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) for his outstanding services to music. Murray Perahia was born in New York on April 19, 1947. He began playing the piano at the age of four and received formative instruction from the pianist and writer Jeannette Haien. He studied conducting and composition at the Mannes College and perfected his piano skills in a chamber music summer course with the renowned chamber musician and accompanist Artur Balsam. He gained further musical experience performing with Rudolf Serkin and the Budapest Quartet at the Marlboro Music Festival, where he also first met Pablo Casals. He later played privately with Casals in Puerto Rico and studied for a year with the great Polish-American pianist Mieczysław Horszowski. In March 1972, the notoriously self-critical young musician made his debut with the New York Philharmonic. His big breakthrough came when he won the Leeds International Piano Competition in the same year. As part of his prize from this competition, he gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1973. Perahia became a regular accompanist to tenor Peter Pears and served as co-artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival from 1981 to 1989. Murray Perahia's artistic development was furthered by the advice and guidance he received from Vladimir Horowitz in the 1980s. The legendary pianist, who played for Perahia the evening before his death, remains an inspiring role model for him, as do other great musicians of the past such as Edwin Fischer, Alfred Cortot, Pablo Casals, and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Their freedom of expression and tonal elegance are reflected in Perahia's artistry. His interpretations offer a compelling combination of intellectual depth, spontaneous expression, and lyrical concentration. The Guardian (London) recently praised his "musicianship of the highest order," and the New York Times celebrated the "emotional richness" of his Carnegie Hall recital in May 2017. 11/2017