At the Verbier Festival, Boris Berezovsky gives a piano recital of works by Liszt and Schumann.

With a giant frame, massive hands, and unmistakable strength, Boris Berezovsky is impossible to ignore. A daring pianist who takes his instrument into uncharted territory and astonishes with his endurance, Berezovsky has a special place in the great tradition of Romantic piano repertoire. From start to finish, his playing never loses its inspiration, his approach to form flirts with improvisation, his power is dizzying.

Never making concessions, his vision of Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor is demonic: his virtuosity is almost frightening, fueled with explosive energy. In Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, the pianist dares to reach for arresting contrasts. Nothing is forgotten, every phrase moves forward, taking flight from his sinewy and agile fingers. Berezovsky’s passionate pianistic renditions are filled with the magic of the moment.