Songs of Sorrow and Consolation: Late Piano Pieces by Franz Liszt [Pure DSD]

I've come to be quite a fan of pianist László Borbély. He is simply very interesting, his playing style is definitively his own, and his interpretations are always very much worth hearing. That he also is quite comfortable playing "live" before an audience and recording in Pure DSD at the same time is a real credit to him as a performer. That is what is known as a high wire act! And he pulls it off supremely well.

This recording was made before a live audience on September 25, 2021, in Hunnia's Supersize Recording Studio, Budapest, Hungary. The piano is a Steinway & Sons Model D Grand Piano and the primary microphones were AEA R88 Stereo ribbons, with DPA 4007 and DPA 4047 for ambient studio pickup. This is the same microphone complement used in the other excellent Hunnia recordings of Borbély in the studio, all of which I commend to you. The Pure DSD256 sound quality is simply stunning. The timbre and resonance of this concert grand piano is captured beautifully—it truly sounds like a real instrument played in a real natural acoustic space.

László Borbély's performances of these late Liszt piano works are thought provoking. He plays with dramatic power when called upon, but that is only one small aspect of his approach to Liszt. The more important aspects of his playing is his ability to render these works with a tremendous depth of interpretive nuance, creating great atmosphere. These are not bombastic works, but they are challenging. These are works of the mature Liszt filled with introspection, challenge, frustration and frequent lances of merciless humor with which Liszt seems to poke, almost stab, at his listeners...

I have had the opportunity to hear László Borbély's piano-playing several times. In person, I was able to meet an extremely mature artist with an individual voice.

His playing of Liszt is characterized by dramatic power, depth, the ability to create an atmosphere and superb instrumental skills. His interpretation, program composition and explanation of the performed pieces always leads me to further reflection.

I heartily recommend this album to music listeners’ everywhere.

Tamás Vásáry
Pianist, Conductor