George Perle: A Retrospective (1958-2004)

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Bernard Holland wrote in the New York Times: "George Perle, who turns 93 next month, is a rare survivor of a disappearing movement. … His atonal compositions, 12 of which are collected in a two-CD retrospective on the Bridge label, are like well-cut jewelry: small enough to hold in the hand, diamond hard yet smooth to the touch, and shining with reflecting light. … The Nine Bagatelles for piano (played in the CD set by Horacio Gutiérrez), from 1999, and the Serenade No. 3 for piano and chamber orchestra (with Richard Goode and Gerard Schwarz conducting the Music Today Ensemble), from 1983, both have Mr. Perle’s trademark love for brief, elegant, highly energized phrases separated by marked pauses. Cleanliness and light are present: Art Deco streamlining replaces Edwardian overdecoration. If Mr. Perle is a jeweler, he is also an architect, and you can think of these pieces as buildings. We admire them for clear thinking and precision. … It is interesting that Mr. Perle’s take on 12-tone music flourished just as space travel was coming along" ("Rocketing to Inner Space, Defying Tonality," 4/20/08).