Liszt: Via Crucis & Solo Piano Works

A Genius’s Late Years

The Liszt we know is the virtuoso piano master—those dazzling transcendental etudes and flamboyant transcriptions.

But in his late years, Liszt took another path. He devoutly converted to Catholicism, and his music turned to deep introspection.

And Via Crucis is the finest representative of this period.

The Way of Sorrows

“Via Crucis” means “Way of the Cross”—the fourteen stations of Jesus carrying the cross to Golgotha.

Liszt’s Via Crucis interweaves Gregorian chant with minimalist piano texture, depicting this path. It is not a showy work—it is plain, introspective, yet deeply spiritual.

Andsnes lets this work flow from his fingers, restrained yet full of feeling. Those quiet, almost prayerful notes linger long in your ear.

A Spiritual Experience

This album is described as “a spiritual experience.”

Andsnes not only plays Via Crucis but also includes other late Liszt solo piano works. All carry that late-period depth, stripped of flash.

Listening to this album is like watching a genius at life’s end put aside virtuosity and applause, leaving only the purest music and faith.

Why Listen

Andsnes is one of today’s most important pianists, a seven-time Gramophone Award winner.

His interpretation of late Liszt is hailed as one of the most important Liszt recordings in recent years. If you think Liszt only “shows off,” this album will show you another side of him.

Further Listening

If you love Andsnes’s piano, explore Lisiecki’s Preludes and Kozhukhin’s Somnia.