Liszt - Lazaridis - The Pianist

The mighty Liszt B minor Sonata once held Mt Everest status in the piano literature, reserved for only a handful of the greatest virtuosos. Not any more. As with Mt Everest, every mountaineer now conquers it, and the Liszt Sonata has entered into the repertoire of every single pianist, even those who are too young to drive a car. Record companies are even releasing debut recitals by young barnstorming virtuosos prominently tossing off the work.

Young George-Emmanuel Lazaridis easily slips into the top ranks with his finely recorded performance here. We need not fear the towering octaves will slip, the skips be missed or the fugue run sour in the voicing. It is all done with such ease that we wonder how this sonata could be that feared unconquerable piano piece left only to the giants to wrestle with. As with the other many new recordings, it is left to the performer to fill out the other half of the disc and here Lazaridis gives us a supreme account of the sparkling Paganini Etudes. He manages to make them sound even more musically interesting than the Sonata, now that's something to be proud of. Pianist Recommended