Pianists and their Composers: Franz Liszt

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Franz Liszt divides opinion. For immoderate helium is regarded arsenic 1 of the top pianist-composers of the Romantic era; for others, helium is simply a showman and a charlatan who wrote vulgar, showy music.

In fact, helium was a singular instrumentalist and quality being. Sure, arsenic a performer helium could beryllium flamboyant and extravagant successful his gestures, but helium helped signifier the modern solo soft performance arsenic we cognize it contiguous and helium besides brought a large woody of euphony to the nationalist realm done his transcriptions (he transcribed Beethoven’s symphonies for solo piano, frankincense making this repertoire accessible to some performance artists and amateur pianists to play astatine home). He was an advocator of caller euphony and up-and-coming composers and lent his generous enactment to radical similar Richard Wagner (who joined Liszt’s girl Cosima). His soft euphony combines method virtuosity and affectional depth. It’s existent that immoderate of his output is showy – each virtuosic flourishes for the involvement of virtuosity – but his suites specified arsenic the Années de Pèlerinage oregon the Transcendental Etudes, and his transcriptions of Schubert songs show the implicit apogee of art, poetry, and quality combined. Martha Argerich Martha Argerich brings occurrence and fluency to her interpretations, underpinned by a singular method assuredness. Her 1972 signaling of the B-minor Sonata and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 is regarded arsenic “legendary”.

Leslie Howard Australian Leslie Howard is the lone pianist to person recorded the solo soft euphony of Liszt, a task which includes immoderate 300 premiere recordings, and helium is rightly regarded arsenic a specializer of this repertoire who has brought overmuch of Liszt’s lesser-known euphony to the fore.

Lazar Berman Berman’s 1977 signaling of the Années de Pèlerinage remains the benchmark signaling of this repertoire for many. Berman brings sensibility and grandeur, warm-heartedness, and mastery to this singular acceptable of pieces.

Alim Beisembayev Winner of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, the young Armenian pianist Alim Beisembayev’s debut signaling of the implicit Transcendental Etudes is singular for its spellbinding polish, precision, and philharmonic maturity, each supported by superb technique.

Yuja Wang Yuja Wang has been praised for her breath-taking interpretations of Liszt’s First Piano Concerto which harvester unit and filigree, affectional depth, and method mastery to make thrilling and insightful performances.

Other noted Liszt pianists see Georges Cziffra, Jorge Bolet, Krystian Zimerman, Lang Lang, Daniil Trifonov, Sviatoslav Richter, Marc-André Hamelin, Nelson Freire, Claudio Arrau, and Vladimir Horowitz.