Complete Bach Transcriptions for Solo Piano

Book excerpt: Franz Liszt's transcriptions of other composers' music are as highly regarded as his original piano works. Some listeners Schumann among them consider Liszt's painstaking transcriptions to be completely new works. Using his gifts for fathoming the deepest meanings of a given piece, Liszt also created a uniquely revealing work. In addition to drawing attention to composers and works that would otherwise have remained unknown to a wider public, Liszt's piano transcriptions introduced the instrument to uncharted territory: for the first time, a keyboard could be used to reproduce the sound of any instrument. The composer brought numerous innovations to the practice of piano playing to achieve the richness and color of the original works, from the technique of hand crossing to revolutionary changes in the use of the pedals. First acquainted with the works of Bach through his piano studies, Liszt further explored the earlier composer's works in his career as a virtuoso performer. His piano interpretations of Bach's organ music are executed in a simple and straightforward manner, and they rapidly became the classic models for all future works in this genre. This compilation, featuring such famous and well-loved works as Six Organ Preludes and Fugues (BWV 543 548) and the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor (BWV 542), attests to their enduring power and beauty. "