Bach: The Complete Recordings-Perahia Suona Bach

This was a present. The recipient is extremely pleased with it.

There has been written only positive reviews in here and that’s how it should be. These performances has a natural flow, not just only from the soloists hands, but also from the orchestral workings, which gives this great body of Bach’s work so much weight and meaning. I initially just listened to the piano concerto no. 3 and didn’t need to be any further convinced that this indeed 100% dedication!Highly recommended for anyone who loves Bach and maybe isn’t the biggest fan of the harpsichord... oh and by the way the sound production is absolutely beautiful and natural - not too much reverb and a full rich sound.

Whilst Beethoven should make one feel capable of charging across the stormiest of seas, Bach should leave one levitating over one's favourite body of water on a halcyon Midsummer Day staring in wonder at the snow-capped mountains on the shore and gazing into the opal depths. One ought to be left in a state of utmost tranquility, bathing in the warmth of the numinous, but knowing that one has traversed all the storms of life and come out scarred but intact. Perahia achieves this like nobody else, and his insistence on the use of a modern piano in Bach is admirable. The most civilised and cerebral of pianists, Perahia brings everything to this. He is careful without being precious, refined whilst imparting all necessary emotion, and humane, oh so humane. For a boxset of 8 CDs to be so faultless is incredible.If I had to have only one collection of Bach's music this would be it (and as a very amateur cellist this is a guilty admission). Long live Perahia Peave-weaver.

I was already the owner of Murray Perahia playing Bach's French Suites, so I bought this set to complete my collection, so to speak. Perahia allows the music to shine through without imposing any agendas. The recordings are technically flawless, both in performance and engineering. A sense of fun infuses these performances, and an enjoyment in sharing the music with the listener.The fact that all this is played on an instrument unknown to Bach does not matter, except in one respect. In the keyboard concertos, a harpsichord has the dual role of soloist and continuo. As a continuo instrument, the harpsichord can propel the rhythm, give a sparkle to the strings, and fill out the harmonic canvas. The piano just cannot do this in the same way. This is not Perahia's fault - Rudolf Serkin's 1935 recording of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto suffers from the same problem. But this is a minor quibble. The set is splendid and I am happy to have added it to my collection.

Perahia’s Goldberg Variations have a beguiling grace, legerity and wit that is truly unique. Much more than mere virtuosic dexterity is on display in this recording, not that there’s ever a dud note to be heard. This is a thoughtful, measured and impeccably judged performance. No Bach library should be without this boxed set. The same can be said of his version of the Partitas, the English Suites, or indeed of the Keyboard Concertos. He is one of the few great masters of Bach keyboard music.

Excellent collection

Bach hardly even knew the fortepiano, never mind the later instrument. But playing of this calibre surely silences any qualms about the use of the modern pianoforte. This is peerless musicianship. Perahia has long been a devotee of JS, and his readings are both thoughtful and deeply felt, but never sentimental or romantic. Playing is deft. Articulation is often staggeringly crisp, and above all the sense of enjoyment and passion in this music making shine through at all times. One is left with a feeling of satisfaction and joy. His Goldberg variations have long been praised, and to hear them again in this set is to hear them afresh. Every playing yields some little detail. The collection is worth the money on the strength of the concerti alone. Here he directs the chamber-sized ASMF contingent from the keyboard. They play modern instruments with a period freshness, light on their feet and with beautifully sprung rhythms. Perahia plays along with the ripieno, as has become the HIP custom, using brisk but not hurried tempi, and one cannot help but find every work thoroughly infectious, although nos 1 and 2 are something very special indeed. He has a sense of touch which must be rare in even the best concert pianists. Buy this set with absolute confidence; it is a towering achievement.

Milestone of Bach piano music