American pianist Murray Perahia is one of those musical icons who impress with a combination of accomplished pianism, sophisticated tone and intense engagement with music. Highly adept at play-conducting, Perahia is recipient of two Grammy Awards and several Gramophone Awards. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, with whom he has toured as soloist and/or conductor.
 
One of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is renowned for fresh and brilliant interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music, producing a dazzling palette of sounds. In pursuit of continued excellence, the ensemble prides itself on remarkable musical homogeneity and an impressive discography (more than 500 titles). Named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2011, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell has been shaping the ensemble’s modern-day direction alongside acclaimed guest soloists and conductors. 

Each of the featured composers, whose works bear similarities in intimacy, passion and expressiveness, uniquely explored new possibilities of expression: while Schubert devised his own way towards reaching the greatness of Beethoven’s masterpieces, Schumann evaded mere virtuosity and applied symphonic dimensions to the form of a concerto.

Text used courtesy of https://www.cd-cc.si/​​​​​​​.