Mariam Batsashvili: Bach & Liszt

The dazzling pianist presents bold musical reinventions across centuries, from Baroque brilliance to Romantic drama. Pianist Mariam Batsashvili pairs natural charisma with keyboard brilliance, and is perhaps best known for her performances of Liszt’s works. Prizewinner at two major Liszt competitions, Batsashvili brings a powerful perspective to the composer’s piano adaptations of works originally written for other instruments. Bach’s Keyboard Concerto, adapted from Marcello’s earlier D minor Oboe Concerto, blends Italian lyricism with German craftsmanship. Liszt’s transcriptions of the Sarabande and Chaconne from Handel’s Almira, meanwhile, rework stately dances into a sweeping piano drama. Operatic exuberance runs through the Grande caprice on Bellini’s La Sonnambula by Liszt’s great rival Sigismond Thalberg, while Liszt’s own glittering Waltz from Gounod’s Faust transforms irresistible dance into richly imagined keyboard textures. Two mighty musical monuments come after the interval. Busoni’s piano version of Bach’s Chaconne unfolds on an epic scale, tracing a profoundly spiritual journey. Liszt’s Après une lecture du Dante closes the concert with a sweeping vision inspired by Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy, moving from turbulence to radiant resolution.