The Washington Performing Arts Society welcomes pianist Murray Perahia to the concert stage on Sunday in the latest offering of this season’s Piano Master Series. Perahia performs in solo recital at the Music Center at Strathmore.
“This is a traditional recital where Perahia comes out to play,” said WPAS President Neale Perl. “He may greet the audience, but he’s there to show us what he can do and there’s no one better on the planet to do it.”
In more than 35 years of performance, the American virtuoso has become a sought-after pianist. He tours the United States, Europe, Japan and East Asia and has worked with just about every major orchestra, including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where he serves as principal guest conductor.
| Onstage |
| Murray Perahia |
| Where: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| When: 4 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $35 to $85; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org; wpas.org |
His cherished recital repertoire includes the greatest compositions written for piano, and he plays them by memory. The Strathmore audience will be given a program listing the selections he has chosen for today’s performance. They include Bach’s French Suite No. 5 in G Major, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op.90, Brahms’ “Klavierstucke,” Op.119, and Schubert’s Sonata in A Major, D.664. After an intermission, Chopin’s piano works dominate the program, when he performs a polonaise, a prelude, a mazurka and a scherzo.
“Perahia is the authority on all this music,” Perl continued. “This is the music he holds most dear in his heart, [that] he’s been playing since he was a little child.”
Born in New York, Perahia began playing piano at the age of 4 and went on to study conducting and composition. Over the years, he has collaborated with Rudolf Serkin and Pablo Casals, even developing a close friendship with Vladimir Horowitz. A wide and varied discography culminated in numerous Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards for recordings of the works of Chopin and Bach. Additionally, he holds several Gramophone Awards.
“I think this concert is very inspirational for kids who are studying the piano,” said Perl. “It’s not a children’s concert by any means; it’s a grown-up concert. But, kids who are interested in this kind of music can go to something like this and be blown away.”
