… a masterly recital, and one whose undemonstrative performances enable the music to speak for itself most eloquently.

Perahia is a quiet Beethovenian, referring not to his dynamics but his utterly unhistrionic approach. Though you might want higher voltages running through some works, the sonatas here respond well to such a temperament. The opening of the variation set in Op 26, for instance, is simplicity itself, and Perahia's swiftly flowing second movement is beautifully judged.
If anything is missing from these readings, it's a certain irreverent humour. Perahia's playing is so well honed that sometimes that last aspect seems to have been tamed, though he brings an effective sense of unease to the finale of the work.
His Pastoral, on the other hand, is a joyous balance of warmth of sound (how he makes the piano sing) in the outer movements, both simultaneously anchored by, and tensing against, a pedal note of D, and the shadowy Andante. A thought-provoking essay by Jeremy Siepmann and a well balanced recording match the quality of the playing.

The opening of the variation set in Op 26… is simplicity itself… and Perahia's swiftly flowing second movement is beautifully judged. His Pastoral… is a joyous balance of warmth of sound (how he makes the piano sing) in the outer movements…

one of the most thoughtful and self-effacing pianists of the day…Perahia’s singing tone and shapely phrasing are a joy – even works recorded as frequently as these sound new-minted in his hands