![]() What’s compelling, too, is the way in which a solo pianist can achieve expressive effects in this music, subtle rubatos that would be extremely difficult to achieve with even the finest orchestraIt reveals this most familiar music in an entirely new light. Martynov’s clarity and evenness in the last movement of the Fourth, for instance, are exceptional. His performances of the Fourth and Fifth are compelling, not only for what one great composer can bring to the music of another, but also for the brilliance of the playing, the range of keyboard colour that he obtains from his meticulously restored piano, and the way in which he meets every technical challenge that Liszt’s arrangements present. Playing an 1867 Blüthner, Yury Martynov has been working his way through the set – this is his fourth disc, and leaves only the Ninth Symphony to be released. They are definitely transcriptions that render the orchestral textures in pianistic terms as faithfully as possible there’s no hint of the extra adornments that are such a feature of Liszt’s orchestral and operatic paraphrases. I'm eagerly awaiting that release, and fans of great piano playing should do the same.I n 1865, Liszt published solo piano arrangements of all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies. 125) will doubtless conclude the cycle in the years ahead. The final installment, the "Choral" Symphony (Symphony #9, Op. Even if you aren't a huge fan of the period-performance movement – and I am certainly not – there is great art on display, and that's enough for me. In the final analysis, I believe that Martynov's musicianship and commitment to these scores trumps any odd interpretative choices that may raise eyebrows. The sound is clear, and never overly resonant. The rest of the work is much the same, somewhat personalized themes, somewhat harsh climaxes, and rapt, chill-inducing pianissimos. Attention to dynamics is excellent, with a stunning conclusion to the opening movement. Indeed, the softer the playing is, the more I am drawn into the hushed and supremely dramatic lines that Martynov draws with his playing. The quieter moments are again wholly captivating and mannerisms aside, there's tremendous attention to detail. But despite these complaints, I still find myself impressed. Those curious pauses between transitions are also back in full force. That in turn seems to convince him that he can do some odd things with phrasing and simply milk the phrase later. Martynov resists the temptation to milk the initial "Fate" theme, which is fine by me. In the famous 5 th Symphony, there is also much to admire. On the whole, I lean toward Konstantin Scherbakov on Naxos for his fuller, less pulled-about reading, but this issue has plenty to satisfy listeners. Predictably, the tone of the instrument hardens as the volume increases, but it's not a significant problem. However, the quieter moments throughout the 4 th are genuinely impressive, and mostly very beautiful. Martyov does seem to have a habit of pausing a hair when adjusting tempo, something that tires upon repeated hearing and more importantly interrupts the music's natural flow. The slow movement of the 4 th gains a poetic intimacy that I had not yet encountered, while the bigger moments come off with such pianistic thrills that most listeners will simply marvel. Though his instrument naturally lacks a "symphonic" sound – something that is especially magnified by his choice of a "period" approach and choice of a fortepiano – there are some moments that work wonderfully. While some may find his playing mannered in places (a criticism I've read regarding previous installments), there is also much to savor. Playing an 1867 Blüthner fortepiano which apparently took some 1000 hours to restore, the pianist clearly believes in these transcriptions and brings tremendous gusto to both works. ![]() Fiendishly difficult but quite rewarding, it's obvious that Martynov has the technical abilities to make this music work. piano of 1867 chosen for the previous volume in this series as he moves on to Beethovens Fourth and Fifth symphonies in their transcriptions by Liszt. This is the fourth volume of Yury Martynov's period-piano cycle of the Beethoven Symphonies as transcribed by Liszt. ![]()
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