The Amazing Mr Smith
Beethoven (arr. Liszt), Symphony No.7
Bach (arr. Busoni), Chaconne

The two great piano transcriptions contrasted on this record demonstrate the unique range and adaptability of the modern concert-grand. While Busoni’s piano arrangements of Bach’s chaconne for solo violin may be described as a triumph of expression, Liszt’s translation of Beethoven’s Seventh symphony emerges as a tour-de-force of compression. The challenge of conveying its vast contours through the medium of a single instrument is only made possible by Liszt’s unprecedented keyboard daring and acute aural imagination. His arrangement captures the spirit of his most electrifying of symphonies and also illuminates a thousand and one hidden subtleties of details anew.