Beethoven: Symphonies No. 7 & 1 (Transcribed by Liszt)

Featuring

Yury Martynov
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Franz Liszt believed the piano, with its seven-octave range, could reproduce nearly all orchestral compositions, lacking only the diversity of timbres and massed effects.

Composition History

Franz Liszt began transcribing Beethoven's symphonies for piano as early as 1835-37, inspired by his earlier transcription of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

Compositional Technique

Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies are characterized by 'condensation,' where he simplifies the orchestral text by omitting doublings and textures to fit the piano.

Performer Biography

Yury Martynov, the pianist on this album, has won prestigious awards including first prizes at the Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona and the W. A. Mozart Fortepiano Competition in Salzburg.

Instruments

The Erard piano used for this recording, originally from 1837, had its keyboard compass extended by the factory in the 1880s.

Interpretation

Yury Martynov chose an 1837 Érard piano for this recording to closely align with Liszt's vision of Beethoven's symphonic works.

Composition History

Liszt's piano transcriptions of Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, and 7 were published in 1840 and dedicated to Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a painter and amateur violinist.