For this 2011 hybrid SACD from Arts,
Martin Berkofsky's program of
Franz Liszt's piano music is focused mostly on quiet reveries, many of which were informed by the composer's religious ardor. With the exception of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12, which is a straightforward showpiece of nationalist flavor, the selections tend toward the reflective and meditative side of
Liszt's writing. Such evocations of religion as the pieces about St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dorothy are explicitly devotional in character, as are the Ave Maria and Pater Noster, while the two Transcendental Etudes, "Harmonies du Soir" and "Vision," reflect the same sublime atmosphere. Yet even in his most serene pieces,
Liszt still includes passages of sparkling virtuosity and dramatic contrasts, so the music still reflects his phenomenal skills as the 19th century's greatest pianist.
Berkofsky is a master of
Liszt's dazzling techniques, but he finds profound meanings in the music that come to the surface in his playing and help unify the whole collection. The super audio recording is spacious and the piano's wide range of dynamics and timbres is faithfully captured in the DSD reproduction.