Liszt’s Beethoven symphony transcriptions for piano solo demand the utmost in technique, stamina, and musicianship–perhaps in the Ninth most of all, where the soloist must assimilate the solo vocal quartet and choir music in addition to bearing the orchestral burden. By and large, Konstantin Scherbakov has what it takes to meet Liszt’s cruel demands head on. In contrast to Cyprien Katsaris’ effective emendations of Liszt’s text in the name of orchestrally inspired sonority and dramatic impact, Scherbakov is a purist by comparison. He trusts Liszt’s “de-orchestration” as written, and for the most part wields a lighter, more incisive, and suppler pair of hands over the symphony’s course than Leslie Howard on Hyperion.
Granted, Scherbakov doesn’t balance the first movement’s opening tremolos and descending motive with Katsaris’ evenness and control, yet he still makes the swirling passagework sound deceptively easy. While Scherbakov takes trouble to nail the Scherzo’s motto dotted figure more perfectly than anyone else on Earth, he works too hard, and the movement’s whirling momentum runs itself into the ground. Fortunately, the Trio is lithe, long-limbed, and gorgeously voiced. Taking the Adagio at a brisk basic tempo typifying many period-performance versions, Scherbakov’s coolness and control circumvent the deeper lyricism and tonal ripeness Katsaris finds.
In the Finale, Scherbakov’s careful layering of solo/tutti and vocal/instrumental perspectives, and his tightly knit tempo relationships vividly unify this movement’s disparate parts. In other words, he never slows down for the sake of accommodating his hands. My only criticism here concerns the pianist’s avoidance of the sustain pedal in thickly-scored climaxes. It’s great that he’s able to pull off the rapid figurations and taxing octaves via fingers alone, but the results sound brittle, tense, and notey, rather than fluid and majestic. All told, this is an admirable release, but it’s not quite up to Scherbakov’s finest Beethoven/Liszt efforts (the Second, Fourth, and Fifth symphonies), or to Katsaris’ reference Ninth.
