LISZT: Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Transcription) (Liszt Complete Piano Music, Vol. 21). Naxos 8.557366
Artist(s): Konstantin Scherbakov
Franz Liszt was one of Beethoven's greatest champions and admirers, and his acclaimed transcriptions of the master's nine symphonies stand as testament to the greatness of both men. Through many revisions, Liszt's intrinsic attention to detail and intimate understanding of Beethoven's compositions resulted in these transcriptions, which are considered some of Liszt's greatest musical achievements. The transcription recorded here is perhaps Beethoven's most well-known work, his Symphony No. 9. The performance is by none other than the legendary Konstantin Scherbakov, who has been hailed as the modern Rachmaninov since he won the first Rachmaninov competition in Moscow in 1983.
User Review
“I had not expected to like this recording as much as I had the earlier CDs of Konstantin Scherbakov playing Liszt's piano transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies, and indeed the first time I listened to it I found myself really missing the soloists and chorus in the last movement. But the second time through I found that I could set that aside and listen to it as a PIANO performance, not as a substitute for the ‘real thing.’ And my goodness, this is spectacular playing on Scherbakov's part! And that is particularly so in that last movement because of all the musical events that come racing pell-mell after each other, often on top of each other. The adagio, a hard thing to bring off on a non-sustaining instrument like the piano, is simply ravishing, and frankly I heard things–inner voices primarily–that usually get covered up in orchestral performances. I followed throughout with an orchestral score and am simply amazed not only how Liszt was able to include almost everything, but at Scherbakov's ability to bring it out. Thumbs up.” Scott Morrison