Franz Liszt—the “Paganini of the piano”—was without doubt the author of some of the most difficult pages of piano music of his generation. Co-inventor of the modern piano, along with Chopin he elevated the instrument’s status to that of “king of instruments.”

A genius by reputation, Evgeny Kissin belongs to the rare breed of musicians adored as much by the public as by their peers. This jewel of a recital shows the pianist at the 2011 Verbier Festival, and honored Liszt through performances of his Sonata in B, the Funérailles, and Les Années de pèlerinage.

Photo: © Aline Paley