F. Liszt - Harmonies Poetiques Et Re

One of Liszt�s most personal and confessional piano cycles, the Harmonies poetiques et religieuses (composed between 1846 and 1851) contains two of his best-loved masterpieces � the serenely contemplative �Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude� and the heroic elegy �Funerailles�. This outstanding recording makes a much-needed case for the collection as a whole, setting these well-known works in their wider spiritual context. Important works such as �Pensee des morts� (an extraordinarily dark meditation on the oft-visited subject of death) and �Cantique d�amour� (one of Liszt�s most beautifully expressive reveries) are revealed, as are rarely heard transcriptions of Liszt�s own sacred choral works.Steven Osborne captures the music�s spiritual essence to perfection, further demonstrating his affinity with music of mystical contemplation, a quality so widely acclaimed in his superb recording of Messiaen�s Vingt Regards.