Franz Liszt’s entire life was influenced by the spiritual and the mystical, his piety often in conflict with the secular life of a journeying pianist. Liszt’s prolific and historical transcriptions range from the Renaissance to his own time, and he is acknowledged as Western civilisation’s finest creative force in this genre. The transcriptions of religious works in this recording hold a special place in Liszt’s output and show a different side to this often misunderstood composer, conveying and enhancing the essence of each work to often achingly beautiful effect, and resulting in a treasure trove of unexpectedly intimate and private treasures.

This is Vol.62 of our Liszt Complete Piano Music edition, adding to the wealth of transcriptions already recorded in the series. With this recording by Martin Cousin we are offered a rarely heard glimpse into Liszt’s spiritual side, with such gems as a simple but especially effective setting of Mozart’s famous Ave verum corpus, and a transcription of the love scene from Goldschmidt’s oratorio Die sieben Todsünden – an achingly beautiful and delicate rendering which includes moments that are reminiscent of Liszt’s own Second Ballade. Alongside the more bravura opera transcription volumes this disc stands out as an exceptional contribution to our Liszt edition.