Franz Liszt - 12 Transcendental Etudes (1988)

1.    Preludio (C major)
2.    Molto vivace (A minor)
3.    Paysage (F major)
4.    Mazeppa (D minor)
5.    Feux follets (B flat major)
6.    Vision (G minor)
7.    Eroica (E flat major)
8.    Wilde Jagd (C minor)
9.    Ricordanza (A flat major)
10.    Allegro agitato molto (F minor)
11.    Harmonies du soir (D flat major)
12.    Chasse-neige (B flat minor)

Vladimir Ovchinnikov – piano

This well recorded disc from 1988 features some stunning, but musical, playing from Vladimir Ovchinnikov. This pianist has the distinction of being the only pianist so far to win both the Tchaikovsky and the Leeds piano competitions. His technical and musical credentials are therefore pretty well established and are justified in this disc of Liszt's very demanding etudes.

There is very little to add beyond that as so much of the music requires, and gets, virtuosity of a very high order. There is relatively little opportunity for lyrical or sensitive playing, but wherever that is required Ovchinnikov delivers.

As a CD version this disc is completely the equal of earlier versions even such as that by Berman. However, there is something to be said for seeing, as well as hearing, a pianist in action in such Olympian tasks. At that point there really is another choice, or option, to consider most strongly. The DVD version by Berezovsky recorded 'live' at the Roque d'Antheron in 2002 and available on a difficult to find disc published by Naive is simply mind-blowing.

Otherwise, I would suggest that this CD by Ovchinnikov will more than suffice and is worthy of very serious consideration as a purchase. ---I. Giles, amazon.com

The Transcendental Etudes (French: Études d'exécution transcendante), S.139, are a series of twelve compositions written for solo piano by Franz Liszt in 1852. The 1852 version is the revision of an even more technically difficult 1837 version, which in turn was the elaboration of a set of studies written in 1826. --- classiccat.net

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