Is this disc really necessary? With spectacular recordings of
Chopin's etudes by
Horowitz,
Richter,
Moravec, and
Pollini readily available, is a new recording by
Murray Perahia really necessary? Except for fans of the pianist, probably not: the poetic
Perahia has nothing new to add to the already profoundly poetic performances of
Moravec and
Richter, and the virtuoso
Perahia cannot compete with the astonishing virtuosity of
Horowitz or
Pollini. And while fans of the pianist will be gratified by
Perahia's beauty of tone and astounded by his jaw-dropping virtuosity, not even they would be able to say that
Perahia's very fine recording is in the same league as the sublime
Horowitz,
Richter,
Moravec, or
Pollini recordings. For collectors of
Murray Perahia, a collector of
Chopin's etudes, or a collector of any recent pianists' interpretations of standard repertoire, this disc may be necessary. But the less-avid listener is directed to the recordings of
Horowitz,
Richter,
Moravec, or
Pollini.