Search - Liszt, Georges Cziffra :: Transcendental Studies

Great Pioneering account of Liszt's Transcendentals.

arffizc | LONDON | 02/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Virtuosity by itself is dull and boring but when aligned to imaginative flair, fantasy, poetry and the desire to communicate from the heart to the heart with tremendous exuberance and joie de vivre, then the effect is mesmerizing and astonishing. Cziffra does just that and his volatile, red blooded pioneering recording of the complete Transcendental Studies from 1957/58 is the first account to do real justice to these Paganinian inspired pieces. The opening C major Study isn't just a finger warming exercise in Cziffra's hands but a thrilling upsurge of energy that leads into the darting and flickering vivace 'a capriccio' of the A minor second Etude which Cziffra dispatches with aplomb. In the third Study entitled 'Pasage' Cziffra plays this pastoral piece with simiplicity and tenderness while its climax is full of wistful longing. He also brings this quality and sensitivity to the lyrical moments of 'Ricordanza,'(its arpeggios and cadenzas scintillating like The Milky Way), the central section of 'Wilde Jagd' and to 'Harmonies du Soir.' Cziffra is a powerhouse of passion in the latter pieces big climaxes while he soars magnificently in the 10th Study so named 'Appassionata.' 'Mazeppa' (4th of the studies) opens with spread chords like flashes of lightning that sends the ensuing cadenza hurtling headlong into the main theme which Cziffra plays with great vigour and grandioso swagger. There are both haunting and magisterial moments in Cziffra's performance of 'Vision' and he shows fabulous digital dexterity in 'Feux Follets' while his 'Eroica' displays a playful touch and breathtaking double octaves. 'Chasse-neige' is powerfully depicted as a snow storm to envelope the whole world. The disc ends with Cziffra's 1957 recording of Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1 which for demonic flair has never been equalled. A Great Artist of the Century indeed!

The 2004 digital remastering has greatly improved the sound quality of the original recording which was shallow and rather tinny."

One of the most notable and fierce lions of the keyboard!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 09/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gyorgy Cziffra was - if I may - the embodiment of what we might regard the epic resistance. Having survived the horrid and hellish ambiance of concentration camps, his unsurpassable technique, overwhelming expression and sheer commitment made of him a true musical legend in every inch of the word.



And this album demonstrates it, by far.

"

Must have

James S. Rosenthal | 04/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a pianist that is overlooked. The technique and color are indeed a work of art"