Liszt: Transcendental Etudes

For Yoav Levanon, Franz Liszt is “an artist whose impact on the music world is immeasurable,” and “a supportive, loving and understanding presence that has accompanied me throughout my journey as a pianist and musician.” Works by Liszt have graced two of Levanon’s three previous Warner Classics recordings, and now the young Israeli-born pianist has recorded the twelve Transcendental Etudes, a high point in the Romantic repertoire for piano. The term ‘transcendental’ applies to the capacities required of the performer, but it also embraces the mystical and spiritual implications of the music. “When I approached the Transcendental Etudes – that name of glory which still strikes awe in the world of pianists – I knew I wanted to make one thing clear,” says Levanon. “That this project was never about virtuosity for its own sake. Instead, it was about what virtuosity allows us to uncover … The deeper I went, the more I recognised the extraordinary expressive range of the Etudes – emotional, spiritual … even symphonic in scale. Each piece is a universe of its own. These works are layered, complex, and endlessly revealing. They invite us into vast inner landscapes, full of hidden colours and meanings that demand something far deeper than brilliance …”