Liszt: Piano Concertos + Totentanz

“Liszt’s first piano concerto is a tour de force of virtuosity and drama, while the second offers a more nuanced, introspective exploration,” says Yoav Levanon. “Together, they capture Liszt’s artistic vision, combining technical brilliance with deep emotional resonance.” Now 20 years old, Levanon has recorded both concertos with the players of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and their chief conductor Michael Sanderling. There are further works by Liszt on the album: the spine-tingling Totentanz for piano and orchestra, and two pieces for solo piano, the soaring Romance ‘O pourquoi donc’ and a transcription of Schumann’s rapturous song ‘Frühlingsnacht’. A further transcription, by Yoav Levanon himself, completes the programme:  a Lisztian take on Hugo Wolf’s song ‘Verschwiegene Liebe’. Describing Liszt as “an artist whose impact on the music world is immeasurable,” Levanon – whose mentors have included Daniel Barenboim, András Schiff and Murray Perahia – sees the 19th century pianist-composer as “a supportive, loving and understanding presence that has accompanied me throughout my journey as a pianist and musician.” Liszt’s mighty Sonata in B minor formed the centrepiece of Yoav Levanon’s debut album on Warner Classics, released in 2022. “ … A performance of heroic sweep,” wrote BBC Music Magazine, “A powerful player … nimble and articulate in the virtuoso passages, dramatic with the rhetorical flourishes, tender and lyrical when required,” while Fanfare declared that, “We are living in a golden age of piano talent ... Levanon rises to the highest level among these astonishing young virtuosos.”