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“Noble forces are at work here, generating the sound aesthetics of beauty and adroit virtuosity, a combination that is...the essence of Russo’s artistic expression.” - Audiophile Audition Acclaimed for his profound sense of poetry and distinctive style, Sandro Russo’s playing has often been referred to as a throwback to the grand tradition of elegant pianism and beautiful sound. For Mr. Russo’s latest Steinway & Sons release, he gives a powerful performance of Franz Liszt’s visionary masterpiece, Études d'exécution transcendante. As Mr. Russo writes in his liner notes, the Transcendental Etudes embody some of the most significant traits of Liszt’s prolific “Weimar” period: the quest for new aesthetics of sound; an evident simplification of textures (as suggested by Schumann); and a stronger-than-ever penchant for programmatic elements derived from literature, nature, and the visual arts. Liszt also brought a new, truly poetic dimension to these Etudes by adding highly evocative titles to ten of them. Some of the Transcendental Etudes evoke nature in its idyllic beauty and fierceness (i.e., “Paysage” and “Chasse-neige,” respectively); mythological figures (“Wilde jagd”); legends/heroes (“Mazeppa,” as portrayed in Victor Hugo’s Les Orientales, or “Vision,” believed to represent Napoleon’s funeral procession); ghostly phenomena (“Feux follets”); while others evince more harmonic lushness and lyricism (“Ricordanza” and “Harmonies du soir”). As the word “Transcendental” implies, Liszt is more concerned with tailoring the étude art form to the drama and visionary content each piece represents, rather than limiting it to a given technical aspect; he uses the latter more as a point of departure. Each of his Transcendental Etudes, in fact, becomes like a “tone poem.” Even the first Etude, “Preludio,” is hardly a “warm up” piece to plunge into the cycle, but rather a work with a full narrative arch––despite its being less than a minute long. The later Etudes, with their more poetically descriptive titles, are undoubtedly more elaborate in their form and harmonic language. Whether or not Liszt may have conceived the 12 Transcendental Etudes to be performed as a cycle, their programmatic elements, along with the intricacy of some of their narratives, could give one almost the sense of an entire opera’s being performed at the piano! After all, it was Liszt who had invented the modern piano recital. In any event, what seems clear is that Liszt chose to eschew conventional didactics and craft highly evolved concert pieces designed to evoke deep emotions in his listeners. "The music of Liszt has always been an inseparable part of my musicianship." – Sandro Russo