Biography

Classical Masterworks, a new independent label, is pleased to announce the release of its first recording with American pianist Steve Larson.

First in a series of recordings by Steven Larson, Prologue contains a dizzying array of virtuosic pieces for the piano. Beginning with the extreme athleticism of Franz Liszts Scherzo and March, a piece rarely performed for apparent reasons, the CD continues with a crisp and brisk Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue of Bach followed by a lyrical and deliberate rendering of the famous Brahms Intermezzo in A-Major, Op. 118, Nr. 2. A Liszt-like performance of Debussys Lisle joyeuse and an energetic interpretation of Granados Allegro de Concierto precede a breathtaking Russian section with Moszkowkis Etude in F-Major, Op. 72, Nr. 6, the last Etude-Tableaux of Rachmaninoff and an edge-of-your-seat ride with Rachmaninoffs transcription of the Bumble-Bee. Liszts Fantasy on Themes from Wagners Rienzi leads into the somber and thundering Funérailles of Liszt ending a masterful journey through an imaginative and unusual combination of literature for the piano.

Pianist Steve Larson has performed on five continents as soloist and collaborator with other artists. His repertoire is all-encompassing, ranging from Bach to Boulez and includes the complete Well-Tempered Clavier of Bach, the 32 Sonatas of Beethoven, most of the works of Liszt and such historical monuments as the Goldberg Variations, the Hammerklavier and the Concord Sonata. He is author of the technical manual Extreme Pianism. Steve is married to classical singer Markella Hatziano. They have one daughter, violinist Alexandra Larson.