André Parfenov presents the Mephistopheles cycle as an overall picture of human life - from birth to death. This does not result in transcriptions, but real, artistic, compositional work, a conversation and sometimes even a discussion between the 19th and the 21st century. A true epochal dialogue in which the words of the contemporary composer have no less weight and clarity than that of Franz Liszt.
At the same time, Liszt-Parfenov’s Mephistopheles cycle is not just a reflection on the original, which was the starting point of the artistic search, but a further thinking and an expansion of the philosophical framework. André Parfenov’s partner in the Liszt Duet is the outstanding violinist Iuliana Münch. The listener immediately hears that a first-class ensemble has been found here, which in some places presents excessive passion and in other places acts with calm prudence, which in both cases is not only based on pure technical knowledge, but on an absolute understanding of the music. © Naxos