Operatic reminiscences and fantasies were a necessary part of the repertoire of any 19th-century virtuoso pianist. Liszt excelled in these, often treating the original material...

Operatic reminiscences and fantasies were a necessary part of the repertoire of any 19th-century virtuoso pianist. Liszt excelled in these, often treating the original material in novel ways to reveal new features. Hexaméron, Grandes Variations de Bravoure, comprises an introduction and statement of the March from Bellini’s I puritani (Liszt), with variations by Thalberg, Liszt, Herz, Czerny and Chopin, capped by Liszt’s spirited Finale. With this disc, William Wolfram transports us back to the heyday of the salon and the birth of the modern piano recital.