Cover art Johann Sebastian Bach: The French Suites Murray Perahia via Deutsche Grammonphon.
American pianist Murray Perahia turns 70 in April. After 43 years recording with Sony, where his Chopin, Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart are particularly renowned, his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon is a double CD of Bach’s French Suites (BWV 812-817). That these works have been with Perahia throughout his life is demonstrated here in the lucidity and eloquence of the performance.
Inspired by French composers of Bach’s day, each of the six Suites is a collection of dance movements. The pianist writes of the importance of the dance rhythms: ‘They are the sort of life-spring of [the] Suites. Just to pay attention to the dance element would be as wrong as not paying attention. For there is so much else: the voice leading, the harmony, the counterpoint is really the most interesting aspect to me but if you don’t have a rhythm to bounce this off it is somehow dead’.
Perahia most persuasively expresses the compass of emotions of this music, ranging from a kind of brooding melancholic tristesse central to the French Baroque aesthetic through to unabashed, leaping ebullience. He plays all of the repeats with touching and elegant ornamentation. The layering of voices is masterfully undertaken, the bass always equally intelligently subtly directional and buoyant.
Highlights are too many to mention, but do listen for the profundity and warmth of the Allemande of Suite No 4, the distilled beauty of the Sarabande in Suite No 5 and the infectious carefree joy of the Gigue in Suite No 5.
Quoting the pianist again: ‘The joyfulness, the rhythms, the buoyancy and the spirituality…affects all of the music that was written after it…the French Suites are great Bach, Bach on the highest level.’
Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5
Johann Sebastian Bach
The French Suites
Murray Perahia
‪0289 479 6565 7
Deutsche Grammophon
