Search - Sergey Lyapunov, Sergey Mikhaylovich Lyapunov, Louis Kentner :: Lyapunov: 12 Études d'Exécution Transcendante, Op. 11

Transcendental Playing in Slightly Dated Sound

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 03/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Louis Kentner was born of Hungarian parents--his first name was originally Lajos--in Silesia in 1905. He not only played the classic repertoire--Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven--but the moderns as well; he gave the première of Bartók's Second Piano Concerto under Klemperer in 1933 and played premières of music by fellow Hungarians Kodály and Weiner. But his primary interest was always the high romantic composers--Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov. This legendary recording of the 'Transcendental Études' of Sergei Lyapunov (1859-1924) was made in 1949 and has never been out of print for long. I own two CD versions of it, one on Pearl and one on Appian. This one on Appian has the extra feature of a 1938 performance of the first étude as well. There is little to choose between the two as far as sound quality is concerned; although both show their age the sound is more than adequate to be able to hear both the wonderful music and the brilliant performance by Kentner. Lyapunov's Études come very much from the sound world of Liszt and Balakirev; he was rather an acolyte of the latter. Indeed, Étude No. 10 ('Lesghinka') was inspired by Balakirev's famously difficult showpiece 'Islamey.' Lyapunov wrote his twelve études in sharp keys, very much in homage to the similarly named études by Liszt which are all in flat keys. Each of them has its own sound and each has something to offer. My particular favorites are the 1st ('Berceuse', here recorded twice) with its jeu de perle, amply present in Kentner's playing; the 3rd ('Carillon') with its imitation of the overlapping harmonies from the lingering decay times of bell tones; and the 8th ('Chant épique') which echoes Russian orthodox chant in Mussorgkyan harmonies. Nos. 6, 9, and 11 ('Tempête,' 'Harpes éoliennes,' and 'Ronde des Sylphes') are directly inspired by Liszt's 'Orage,' 'Chasse-neige,' and 'Feux follets.' And they are fully the equal of Liszt's pieces, I feel. No. 12 is an 'Elegy in memory of Franz Liszt;' it imitates some Lisztian procedures (especially those in the slow sections of the Hungarian Rhapsodies) and is a fitting end to this exciting set of études.Kentner, who from the time of Hitler was a resident in England and eventually a British citizen, was known for his faultless technique with its rich tonal palette, emotionality and dare-devil aplomb. The Lyapunov Études have never, as far as I know, been recorded in their entirety by anyone else--I would love to see Marc-André Hamelin or Stephen Hough take them on--although some of the individual études have been recorded (e.g. Alexander Brailowsky's No. 10 'Lesghinka').If you love virtuosic piano music from the period of Liszt through Rachmaninov and don't mind slightly dated recorded sound, this CD might just be for you. You won't be disappointed.Scott Morrison"