Murray David Perahia () (born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the

Leeds International Piano Competition The Leeds International Piano Competition, informally known as The Leeds and formerly the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, takes place every three years in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1961 by Marion, Countess ...

, in 1972. Known as a leading interpreter of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

, Scarlatti,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

, and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

, among other composers, Perahia has won numerous awards, including three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s from a total of 18 nominations, and 9

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refer ...

s in addition to its first and only "Piano Award".

Early life

Murray (Moshe) was born in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to a family of

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

origin. According to the biography on his Mozart piano sonatas CD, his first language was

Judaeo-Spanish Judaeo-Spanish or Judeo-Spanish (autonym , Hebrew alphabet, Hebrew script: , Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: ), also known as Ladino, is a Romance languages, Romance language derived from Old Spanish language, Old Spanish. Originally spoken in Spain ...

, or Ladino. The family came from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

, Greece. His father moved to the United States in 1935. Perahia began studying the piano at age four, with a teacher, he said, who was "very limiting" because she made him play a single piece until it was perfect. He said his musical interests blossomed at age 15 for reasons he can't explain, and he began to practice seriously. At 17, Perahia attended

Mannes College Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School ca ...

, where he studied keyboard, conducting, and composition with his teacher and mentor

Mieczysław Horszowski Mieczysław Horszowski (June 23, 1892May 22, 1993) was a Polish-American pianist who had one of the longest careers in the history of the performing arts. Life Early life Horszowski was born in Lwów (Lemberg), Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine). H ...

. During the summer, he also attended the

Marlboro Music School and Festival The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont, in the United States. Public performances are held each weekend while the school is in ses ...

, where he studied with musicians

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in t ...

Alexander Schneider Abraham Alexander Schneider (October 21, 1908 – February 2, 1993) was a violinist, conductor and educator. Born to a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania, he later moved to the United States as a member of the Budapest String Quartet. Early li ...

, and

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

, among others. He played duets for piano four hands with Serkin, who later made Perahia his assistant at the

Curtis Institute The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, a position he held for over a year. In 1965, Perahia won the

Young Concert Artists International Auditions Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world. The competition, founded in 1961, allows artists from all over ...

. In 1972, he was the first North American to win first prize at the Leeds Piano Competition, helping to cement its reputation for advancing the careers of young pianistic talent. Fanny Waterman has commented (for Wendy Thompson's book ''Piano Competition: The Story of the Leeds'') that Horszowski phoned her prior to the competition, and announced to her that Perahia would be the winner.

Music career

In 1973, Perahia worked with

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

at the

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festival Th ...

, and with fellow pianist

Radu Lupu Radu Lupu (30 November 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a Romanian pianist. He was widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his time. Born in Galați, Romania, Lupu began studying piano at the age of six. Two of his major piano teach ...

. He was co-artistic director of the Festival from 1981 to 1989."Perahia, Murray"
''Grove Music Online'', 2007. Accessed June 3, 2007. In the 1980s, Perahia was invited to work with

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all ...

, an admirer of his art. Perahia says this had a defining influence on his pianism. He became close to Horowitz, whom he visited during the elder pianist's last four years to play for him. From 1973 to 2010, Perahia recorded exclusively for

Columbia Masterworks Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. History ...

, now

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...

. His first major recording project was Mozart's 27

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

s, conducted from the keyboard with the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationall ...

. In the 1980s, he also recorded

's five piano concertos, with

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

and the

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ( nl, Koninklĳk Concertgebouworkest, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, based at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). Considered one of the world's leading orchestras, Queen Beatrix conferred the "R ...

. In 2016, Perahia signed with

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

Hand injuries

In 1990, Perahia suffered a cut to his right thumb, which became septic. He took antibiotics for this condition, but they affected his health.'I don't really have any technique'. ''Telegraph'', 27 February 2003.
/ref> In 1992, his career was threatened by a bone abnormality in his hand causing inflammation, requiring several years away from the keyboard, and a series of operations. During that time, he says, he found solace through studying the music of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

. After recovering, he produced a series of award-winning recordings of Bach's keyboard works in the late 1990s, including a notable rendition of the ''

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'', BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also have ...

''. In early 2005, Perahia's hand problem recurred, prompting him to withdraw from the concert stage on the advice of his doctors. He cancelled several appearances at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

, as well as a 10-city national tour of the United States, but returned with recitals in German cities in 2006 and at the

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

in April 2007. In autumn of 2007, he completed a 10-city tour of the United States. Owing to his hand problem, and on the advice of his doctor, Perahia cancelled a February 2008 solo recital at the Barbican Centre and a tour in the United States with the

Academy of St Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy of ...

(March and April 2008). He returned to the platform in August 2008, touring with the

under the direction of

, and had an Asian recital tour in October and November.

Recent activities

Perahia has recorded Chopin's

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidl ...

s, and

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

's late

piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with t ...

s. He is currently editing a new

Urtext edition An urtext edition of a work of classical music is a printed version intended to reproduce the original intention of the composer as exactly as possible, without any added or changed material. Other kinds of editions distinct from urtext are facs ...

's piano sonatas. Besides his solo career, he is active in chamber music and appears regularly with the

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati an ...

and

Budapest String Quartet The Budapest String Quartet was a string quartet in existence from 1917 to 1967. It originally consisted of three Hungarians and a Dutchman; at the end, the quartet consisted of four Russians. A number of recordings were made for HMV/Victor t ...

s. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the

, with which he records and performs. Since his return at the 2008

Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

season, Perahia has been continually active on the concert scene. Perahia appeared at Sir

Neville Marriner Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English violinist and "one of the world's greatest conductors". Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of th ...

's 90th birthday concert on April 1, 2014, playing

's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K 466 alongside the Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Marriner. After 43 years (1973–2016) with Sony Classical (and its predecessor, Columbia Masterworks), Perahia signed with the German label

. His first release for the label, Bach's French Suites, came out in October 2016. Perahia's performance of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata elicited this review from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'':

Perahia threw himself into everything with a ferocious concentration. The opening left-hand leap to the fugue's landing on a triumphant final cadence 40 minutes later felt like a single gesture, a life passing by during a fall and safe landing off a cliff. The epic Adagio was exceptional. Beethoven is in a black mood. The twisted harmonies and endless melodic lines keep shifting, trying to go one way and then the next, never finding resolution or solace. For Perahia this was inescapable pain, but not to be dwelt upon. His ability to find the life in each note proved intensely moving.

Jerusalem Music Center

In January 2009, Murray Perahia was appointed president of the

Jerusalem Music Center The Jerusalem Music Centre is an institute for musical education in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem. The centre helps young Israeli musicians to develop their talents through multi-annual programs and courses, master classes, and performances.

established by violinist

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...

. In an interview with

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

newspaper he said: "Music represents an ideal world where all dissonances resolve, where all modulations —that are journeys— return home, and where surprise and stability coexist."

Teaching

Perahia was invited to teach at the International Piano Foundation Theo Lieven (known today as the

International Piano Academy Lake Como The International Piano Academy Lake Como is a piano academy. Administration *President of Honor: Martha Argerich *President and Artistic Director: William Grant Naboré *Vice President: Stanislav Ioudenitch Location and facility The majestic P ...

) to selected students. He has given masterclasses at such institutions as

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, and

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

, among many others. He held a Summer Course at the

Jerusalem Music Centre The Jerusalem Music Centre is an institute for musical education in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem. The centre helps young Israeli musicians to develop their talents through multi-annual programs and courses, master classes, and performances.< ...

in July 2017 to young Israeli pianists ages 12 to 18, including Niv Yehuda, Amir Ron, Yoav Levanon, Tom Borrow, Talmon Pachevsky, Yuval Shmila, and Tom Zalmanov. He continues to give frequent masterclasses as president of the JMC. He plans to hold a series of masterclasses in Munich on Beethoven Piano Sonatas, hosted by the renowned publisher G. Henle Verlag, with ten young professional pianists: Eden Agranat Meged, Elia Cecino, Yan Fang, Hyunji Kim, Song Hyeon Kim, Michael Lu, Nathalia Milstein, Misora Ozaki, Maksym Shadko, and Clara Isabella Siegle.

Personal life

Perahia lives in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with his wife, Ninette Shohet, who is of Iraqi-Jewish heritage. He has two adult sons, Benjamin and Raphael.

Awards

Leeds International Piano Competition *1972

First Prize Seventh International Schumann Festival *2000 Robert Schumann Society Claudio Arrau Memorial Medal

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance was awarded from 1959 to 2011. The award was discontinued in 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories; since 2012, recordings in this category have fallen under the Best Small Ensemble Perfor ...

* 1989 '' Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion'' Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance *

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

'' Chopin: Études, Opp. 10, 25'' *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

: English Suites Nos. 1, 3 and 6''

for best concerto recording, 1984, Piano Concertos 15 and 16 of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

for best concerto recording, 1986, Piano Concertos 3 and 4 of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

for best instrumental recording, 1986, works of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

and

with

for best instrumental recording, 1995, works of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

for best instrumental recording, 1996, works of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

and

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the deve ...

for best instrumental recording, 2001,

for best instrumental recording, 2003, Etudes by

for best instrumental recording, 2011, piano music of

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

for best instrumental recording, 2016, Six French Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach Perahia is an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

and Honorary Member of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

(1985). In 2007 he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship of Jesus College, Cambridge. On March 8, 2004,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

made him an honorary

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. (This entitles him to use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

KBE, but not to the title "Sir".) In 2012 he was voted into the inaugural Gramophone Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was awarded the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. In 2013 he was awarded the

Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize The Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize is an award given by the Royal Academy of Music in London. It is sponsored by the Ralph Kohn, Kohn Foundation, and given to performers and scholars who have made an outstanding contribution to the music of J ...

In 2015 he was awarded the

Wolf Prize in Arts The Wolf Prize in Arts is awarded annually by the not-for-profit Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation, and has been awarded since 1981; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Med ...

(with

Jessye Norman Jessye Mae Norman (September 15, 1945 – September 30, 2019) was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but refused to be limited to that voice type. A commanding presence on operatic, concert ...

). A species of solitary bee from Israel was named in his honour in 2016.

Discography

1970s

: ''

Davidsbündlertänze ''Davidsbündlertänze'' (''Dances of the League of David''), Op. 6, is a group of eighteen pieces for piano composed in 1837 by Robert Schumann, who named them after his music society Davidsbündler. The low opus number is misleading: the work ...

'', Op. 6; '' Fantasiestücke'', Op. 12 (1973) * Chopin: ''The Chopin Preludes''. (1975) *

: Études Symphoniques op. 13 & Études Posthumes; ''

Papillons ''Papillons'' (French for "butterflies"), Op. 2, is a suite of piano pieces written in 1831 by Robert Schumann when he was 21 years old. The work is meant to represent a masked ball and was inspired by Jean Paul's novel ' (''The Awkward Age''). ...

'' (1977)

1980s

: ''

Wanderer Fantasy The Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 ( D. 760), popularly known as the ''Wanderer Fantasy'', is a four-movement fantasy for solo piano composed by Franz Schubert in 1822. It is widely considered Schubert's most technically demanding composition for th ...

'', Op. 15; Schumann: Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 (1986) *Mozart, Beethoven: Quintets for piano and winds (1986) *Mozart: Sonata (K. 448); Schubert: Piano Sonata for four hands (1986; with

) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 (1986) *Brahms: Piano Quartet (1987) *Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17, 18 and 26 (1987) *Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (''Emperor'') (1987) *''A Portrait of Murray Perahia'' (1987) *Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (CD 1987, but recorded in 1974 and originally issued on LP) — with

and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 11, 12 and 14 (1987) *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24 (1987) * Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1, Barcarolle, etc. (1987) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (1987) *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 and 21 (1987) *Schumann: Symphonic Études, posthumous études, Papillons; Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 (1988) *Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze; Fantasiestücke (1988) *Beethoven: The five piano concertos (1988) — with

and the

*Schumann: Piano Sonata, Op. 22; Schubert: Piano Sonata, D. 959 (1988) *Bartók: Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion; Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn (1988) *Schumann, Grieg: Piano concertos (1989)

1990s

*Schubert: Impromptus (1990) *Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (1990) *''Murray Perahia in Performance'' (1991) *''Murray Perahia Plays Franck and Liszt'' (1991) *Brahms: Sonata No. 3, Rhapsodies, etc. (1991) *Mozart: Concertos for 2 and 3 pianos, Andante and Variations for piano four hands (1991) with

*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 and 27 (1991) *''The Aldeburgh Recital'' (1991) *Mozart: Piano Sonatas (K. 310, 333, and 533) (1992) *Bach: Harpsichord Concertos (1993) *''

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6–7 July 1812 in Teplitz. The unsent letter is written in pencil on 10 small pages. It was found in the compo ...

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1994) *''Greatest Hits: Grieg'' (1994) *Chopin 4 Ballades: Waltzes Op 18&42, Nocturne Op 15, Mazurkas Op 7,17&33, Études Op 10 Sony Classical #SK 64 399 (1994) *Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (Op. 2, Nos. 1–3) (1995) *''Murray Perahia: 25th Anniversary Edition'' (1997) *Schumann: ''Kreisleriana'', Piano Sonata No. 1 (1997) *Schumann: Complete works for piano and orchestra (1997) — with

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony ...

and the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

*''Murray Perahia Plays Handel and Scarlatti'' (1997) *Bach: English Suites Nos. 1, 3 and 6 (1998), Sony Classical *''Songs Without Words'':

Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary f ...

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

and

–

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

(1999) *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 27 (1999) *''Glenn Gould at the Movies'' (1999) *Bach: English Suites Nos. 2, 4 and 5 (1999), Sony Classical

From 2000

*Bach: ''Goldberg Variations'' (2000), Sony Classical *Chopin: Études (2001) *Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 4 (2001), Sony Classical *Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7 (2002) *Schubert: ''Late Piano Sonatas'' (2003) *''Murray Perahia Plays Bach'' (2003) *Beethoven: String Quartet, Op. 127; Piano Sonata, Op. 101 (2004) (The string quartet is transcribed for full string orchestra and conducted by Murray Perahia) *Bach: Partitas Nos. 2, 3, 4 (2008), Sony Classical *Bach: English Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV 806-811 (2008), Sony Classical *Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Op. 14, Nos. 1 and 2, Op. 26, Op. 28 (Pastorale) (2008), Sony Classical *Bach: Partitas Nos. 1, 5, 6 (2009), Sony Classical *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 18 (2009), Sony Classical *Brahms: ''Handel Variations''; Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118; Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119 (2010) *Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 - Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 (2010), Sony Classical *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21, 23 & Rondos (2010), Sony Classical *Bach: French Suite No 5 (2011) *Beethoven: Piano Sonata No 27 Op 90 (2011) *Chopin: Mazurka C-Sharp Minor Op 30 No 4 (2011) *Bach: The French Suites (2016) *Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (2018)

Videography

*Murray Perahia in Performance (1992) *Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 and 27 in rehearsal and performance (1992) *Schubert: ''Winterreise'' (with

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...

) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 (1988) *Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4 (1988) *Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (1988)

References

External links

Official site

Page at Sony Classical

Full Biography
* Masterclass with Murray Perahia at the

by Bruce Duffie, March 13, 1997
David Dubal interview with Murray Perahia, 3-Apr-1981

Review of Murray Perahia's recording of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata
in th
Classical Music Records Reviews blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perahia, Murray 1947 births Living people 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Sephardi Jews 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century Sephardi Jews American classical pianists American male classical pianists American male conductors (music) American expatriates in the United Kingdom American people of Greek-Jewish descent American Sephardic Jews Conductors (music) awarded knighthoods Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Grammy Award winners Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Jewish American classical musicians Jewish classical pianists Musicians awarded knighthoods Musicians from New York City People from the Bronx Prize-winners of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition Winners of the Royal Academy of Music/ Kohn Foundation Bach Prize Wolf Prize in Arts laureates 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Jews