Trifonov’s approach is to search out through rounded and constantly beautiful piano tone the music’s pre-Debussyian side – a legitimate take on Liszt’s radical streak, keeping any risk of meretricious display at arm’s length and bringing rich rewards in the atmospheric mood-pieces

Trifonov’s is the best kind of virtuoso playing, where one is hardly aware of the notes being played, allowing one to simply bask in the genius of Liszt’s musical narrative and the transcendant execution of an awesomely gifted pianist.

What’s striking about this collection is the tangible absence of egoism in the playing...the focus is squarely on the breathtaking complexity of the music itself rather than the skill and mechanics involved in bringing it to life, and there are moments which genuinely seem to tap into that much-ballyhooed idea of ‘the Romantic Sublime’.

These two enthralling discs show exactly why the 25-year-old Russian Klaviertiger is the current darling of the piano world...Trifonov leaves one open-mouthed at the Mendelssohnian wit and dexterity of Gnomenreigen, and at the sheer playfulness of Liszt’s homages to Paganini. A young player, yes, but already a master.

Trifonov is already an exceptionally thoughtful interpreter, with musicianship that more than matches his technical gifts...while there is never any doubting the brilliance of Trifonov’s playing, that is only the starting point; the delicacy and transparency of his performances are often more striking than their moments of rampaging virtuosity.

Trifonov’s set possesses a wonderful lightness of being. Lyrical works like “Il lamento,” one of Liszt’s most beautiful “Concert Études,” are characterized by understated simplicity and tender feeling...And his “Transcendental Études” are a wonder of seeming spontaneity and breathtaking ease.