The Works

Welcome to The Works, a playlist designed and compiled by our expert editors to help you discover classical music’s latest and finest releases. Liszt sits at the top of this week’s selection, courtesy of “La campanella,” one of the composer’s most delicate yet technically challenging solo piano works, performed here by Georgian pianist Mariam Batsashvili. Part of the Hungarian composer’s Grandes études de Paganini (Paganini Studies), “La campanella” (which translates as “The Little Bell”) is a tour de force of expressive control and virtuosic daring as the melody is accompanied by sparkling, bell-like figurations. “One of the greatest challenges in Liszt’s music is ensuring that your technique serves the expression of the music, rather than letting technique become the sole focus,” Batsashvili tells Apple Music Classical. “In ‘La campanella,’s the glittering cascades of notes and daring jumping intervals can easily seduce the performer into virtuosity for its own sake,” she adds, “and that risks the loss of the piece’s delicate spirit and true voice.” The secret to a successful performance, Batsashvili reveals, is a gentle yet precise touch that allows the piano’s sound to shimmer and sing. Which is exactly what she delivers in her magical recording. Her passion for this music no doubt adds a further dimension. “I love the opening of this piece,” she admits, “with the distant octaves ringing out as if from far away. And then, out of the atmosphere they create, a tiny, delicate bell emerges. Watch out for the melody emerging from the trills—one of my very favorite spots.” The Works is updated regularly by our editors, so if you find a piece of music or performance you love, make sure you add it to your library.