Beethoven, Chopin & Liszt: Piano Works / Melnikov

Melnikov, Alexei

At first glance, there seems to be a disparity between Ludwig van Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas and only one pure piano sonata by Franz Liszt. But just as Hans von Bulow called the Beethoven sonatas the “New Testament of Pianists,” the B-minor piano sonata is one of the most important of Franz Liszt’s compositions in terms of its form, technical demands and content. The connection between these composers is not even too far-fetched, since the eleven year-old Franz Liszt studied in Vienna with Beethoven’s student Carl Czerny. Not only did Franz Liszt later champion the prevalence of the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, he also supported the construction of the Beethoven monument in Bonn. Alexei Melnikov began to show talent in piano and composition when he was just a young child. This is his debut album.

Price: $27.98