Leopold Godowsky began composing his 53 Studies on the Chopin Études in 1894 when he was only 23, finishing two decades later. His fertile musical imagination and exceptional virtuosity ensure that the studies sound vastly more complex and daringly inventive than Chopin’s original material. Late Romanticism informed Godowsky’s conception and his use of the left hand, for example, reinforces the many demands that he considered necessary for contemporary virtuosity, with music that is fearsomely challenging and boundlessly inventive. This release completes the full set of Études that began with Volume 1 (Marco Polo 8225372).

Volume 14 (8225372) was a MusicWeb International ‘Recording of the Month’ and received a 9/9 mark from ClassicsToday.com: ‘Konstantin Scherbakov is a one-of-a-kind pianist, as his prolific output demonstrates. He’s well known not only for his attempts to record all of Godowsky’s works, but also for his interpretations of Beethoven’s. There is no one better for Godowsky’, wrote American Record Guide.