Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante Manuel Cini

• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172:
• 1 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: I. Preludio 00:49
• 2 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: II. Molto vivace 02:22
• 3 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: III. Paysage 04:43
• 4 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: IV. Mazeppa 07:46
• 5 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: V. Feux follets 03:55
• 6 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: VI. Vision 05:27
• 7 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: VII. Eroica 04:49
• 8 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: VIII. Wilde Jagd 05:21
• 9 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: IX. Ricordanza 10:51
• 10 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: X. Allegro agitato molto 04:38
• 11 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: XI. Harmonies du soir 09:37
• 12 Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139, LW.A172: XII. Chasse-neige 05:22
• Total Runtime 01:05:40

Info for Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante

Italian pianist Manuel Cini takes us on a voyage through the highly dramatic and passionate cycle of Liszt's '12 Transcendental Etudes'. Unlike technical studies aimed to develop and reinforce specific aspects of piano playing, Liszt's studies are incredibly vivid and profoundly imaginative; gems of the piano repertoire. Among many other accolades, Cini won First Prize at the Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition in 2021, reflecting his affinity with this repertoire.

These etudes were written in an historical period during which many improvements were made in piano manufacture. New instruments presented more possibilities in terms of sound, tonal volume and structural resistance, which drove Liszt to develop a new kind of piano writing. This cycle thus opened doors to new compositional horizons and has influenced many composers since; today it remains an unsurpassed milestone in piano music.

'Transcendental' not only refers to the incredible difficulty of these pieces, both from a technical and interpretative point of view, but also to their mystic nature: exploring something beyond the knowable. In this album, Manuel Cini seeks to present his own interpretation of this challenging repertoire by combining as faithfully as possible the composer's indications with his personal ideas. This album is the culmination of the work of many years; as Manuel Cini puts it in the album booklet, it is "the realisation of a lifelong dream."

Manuel Cini, piano

Manuel Cini
Born in 1998, Manuel started playing piano since his childhood. He attended the “Luisa D’Annunzio” Conservatory of Pescara and gained at 18 years old his bachelor’s degree with the highest marks, praise and mention of honor. Over the years, his musical preparation has been supervised by Professor Filomena Montopoli.

From 2017 to 2019 he followed the two-years Advanced Level Course in the Music School of Fiesole (Florence) with Maestro Andrea Lucchesini. In 2019, Manuel has been admitted to the prestigious Royal College of Music in London and completed with distinction his Master of Music in Performance under the tutelage of Dina Parakhina in 2021.

Throughout his career, he has attended masterclasses in Italy and abroad with illustrious piano professors such as Michele Campanella, Boris Petrushansky, Andreas Frolich, Orazio Maione, Siegfried Mauser, Ilja Scheps, Leonel Morales, Yuri Didenko, Fany Solter, Edoardo Hubert, Marcella Crudeli.

In 2018, in acknowledgement of his talent and accomplishments, he has been invited to participate at 2nd International Winter Piano Academy Fuerwerk in Germany. In the same year, he also received a scholarship by the Inner Wheel Rotary club as best piano graduate of his city.

Manuel has been a prize-winner in various national and international competitions, including the “Nuova Coppa Pianisti di Osimo 2014” International Competition, the prestigious International Prize “Accademia Giovani 2015” Competition in Rome, where he won the first prize in the highest category, and “Premio delle Arti” Competition in 2017. He has also been selected to participate in the “Casagrande Competition” in 2019 and the prestigious “Vladimir Horowitz Competition” in Kiev in 2020. In 2021 he won the First Prize at the Franz Liszt Center Piano Competition.

He performed as a soloist in Italy (Rome, Naples, Teramo, Pescara, Pesaro, Florence, Perugia), Germany (the Concert Hall of the Hochschule Für Musik Und Tanz and Spiegelsaal of the Aachen Theater, Hannover, Einbeck, Braunlage) Lithuania (Vilnius Museum Ciurlionis and Palangos Kurzhaus in Palanga), England (Rsskl Theatre of Kings Langley and St. Peter’s Church of Berkhamsted, London) and both in chamber music and symphonic formations, alongside the Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory of Pescara (Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1 op. 11), the “Dacorum Youth Orchestra” of Hertfordshire (Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 2 op. 18) and the “Hemel Symphony Orchestra (Tchaikovskij’s First Piano Concerto).

Moreover, Manuel has given recitals for noticeable musical festivals, such as the “L.Barbara” Theater and Music Society, MusicArte Nel Parco, the 7th International Music Festival “The Roads of Europe”, the Ortona Summer Festival, the Friends of Music and Theater Guardiagrele (CH), Piano City Naples and International Festival Green Music. Numerous are the appreciations he received from eminent figures of the musical scene, including Noretta Conci-Leech (pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli), who described him as “a brilliant and talented artist”.

Along with his passion for music, Manuel cultivates a profound interest in the humanist field, brilliantly graduating from the Classical High School “G. D’Annunzio” in Pescara. Since his early age, he showed a deep interest for History, especially for the main events of the XX Century, such as the tragic pages of the Holocaust.

He is currently attending the PhD in Music in the University of Surrey under the supervision of Dr Jeremy Barham with a thesis concerning unedited and unknown music compositions written by prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. From 2021, Manuel is also Executive Board member of the Institute of Austrian and German Music Research (IAGMR).

This album contains no booklet.