Annees de Pelerinage - Italie and Deux Legendes

Franz Liszts Années de Pèlerinage and Déux Legendes rank among his most important and lasting works. Pianist Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991), a major figure among 20th c. German pianists, originally recorded these Lisztian jewels for Deutsche Grammophon in the post-war years of the 1950s-70s. Referring specifically to Kempffs non-bombastic Liszt, legendary pianist Alfred Brendel called them the greatest we have. In Kempffs hands, the pieces do indeed turn into a pilgrimage as the two Franciscan pieces integrate seamlessly into the journey.