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Dynamic are proud to present this amazing historical document of Berman’s 1988 Tokyo concert, broadcast by the Japanese television, NHK and is available for the first time on DVD. The program of this Lazar Berman recital recorded in Tokyo in 1988 collects some of the artist’s most authoritative performances. Schumann’s Sonata in F-sharp minor, op. 11, was one of Berman’s most often-programmed works. It was frequently paired with important works of other composers or, as in this case, with a selection of Liszt pieces. In op. 11 we find a deeply lyrical approach from the very opening of the first movement. Even with his students, Berman emphasized that the piano should “sing” in these passages, rather than merely reproduce the notes on the page. In connection with Schumann, he also stressed to his students that each level of the polyphonic texture should be presented with the proper separation, with the melodic beauty of each individual voice allowed to emerge; aspects that are executed to perfection in the performance on this DVD. The Liszt pieces in this recital also allow Berman to present the expressive side of the music, in addition to an astonishing virtuosity. The fantasy Après une lecture de Dante, one of Berman’s warhorses, is performed with generous scope, with particular emphasis on the three principal themes that Liszt would later elaborate in his B-minor Sonata.
