Breathtaking

Tonight I attended a Murray Perahia concert with Sarah, and it was truly breathtaking. He played a Bach Partita, a Beethoven sonata (the pastoral), Brahms Op. 118 (which I played for my junior recital!), 2 Chopin Etudes (the aeolian harp and the C# minor), and Chopin's Ballade in A-flat. Of course the Brahms was my favorite - I loved his interpretation of all but the 4th piece (which he played faster than I would have liked). The rest were sublime - the strength and warmth of the opening Intermezzo, the tenderness of the 2nd Intermezzo, the fiery Ballade. The best was the last Intermezzo, based on the Dies Irae. It literally took my breath away. I'll remember this concert for a long time to come.

We had great seats, too - in the choir loft, and at only $12.50 each (half of a regular ticket) a major bargain. We could see everything so well (the pictures show our vantage point). I was amazed that I could hear his fingers hitting the keys, and could really watch his expressions and even his feet. The breadth of different sounds he produced was incredible - and he used a ton of una corda, which was really interesting to watch and hear. A master at work!