I am aware of an interest in a critique of Russell Sherman's piano recital this past December 18 in NYC, in which he played the twelve "Transcendental Etudes" by Liszt. The following review of the concert appeared in The New York Times for December 20, and should be of interest to those following Mr. Sherman's career. It was my good fortune to hear one of his concerts two years ago in Sarasota, Florida. He played in one of the local churches, seated at a parlor grand loaned for the occasion by a church member, and down among the main floor pews, if you can imagine such an absurd arrangement. Despite the obstacles, his performance was superb, and his verbal comments on the music as rewarding as his playing. Notwithstanding, the local reviewer saw fit to harpoon the recital as being indicative of why Mr. Sherman was not the premier pianist he should be, without once mentioning that this was in fact Mr. Sherman's choice. Fie on the reviewer, whoever he/she was. The following is the text of The New York Times review: At 70, Russell Sherman continues to tease us with his absence. He is by any measure one of the truly extraordinary pianists before the public, although in his case "before the public" is a relative term. But there he was on Monday night at Alice Tully Hall playing all 12 of Liszt's "Transcendental =C9tudes." Then, I suppose it was back to the suburbs of Boston, where he lives and teaches. Who knows when we shall hear him again? Mr. Sherman's appearance was apparently not by anyone's invitation, but rather a self-generated event apart from subscription series or institutional promotions. Yet a large walk-up audience filled most of the hall with the kind of electric silence that special events always generate. Playing these huge pieces at a single sitting seems an unrealistic job for most performers, but here they unfolded naturally: less an act of physical acrobatics (though such are required) than a musical offering for the holiday season. There is no avoiding the empty rhetoric that inhabits these pieces, especially the earlier ones, but with it comes Liszt's inspired generosity. Indeed, the "Transcendental =C9tudes" describe a kind of man- made biology: wonderful things that grow from unpleasant organic matter. The true marriage of extravagance and inspiration was clearer after intermission, in pieces like "Wilde Jagd," the dreamlike "Ricordanza" and "Harmonies du Soir," the Allegro Agitato Molto with its heart-stopping harmonic transformations and rising octave themes, and finally "Chasse-Neige" rumbling chromatically from within. Pieces that begin as technical exercises (etude meaning study) have a way of focusing great minds. Chopin's extraordinary set of etudes turns individual pianistic problems into unifying forces. Liszt's pieces, on the other hand, are collections of difficulties brought together by high drama. One hopes there were young pianists in Monday's audience to witness and learn from Mr. Sherman's bodily repose in the midst of enormous physical exertion, also his refusal to be seduced by the sheer exhilaration of flying scales and arpeggios. Few I think would accept the challenge of pedal-free exposure in arcanely difficult passages. In "Wilde Jagd" the exhilaration was all mind and spirit; in the reflective pieces like the "Ricordanza" no moment was left unattended. Every note had purpose or, better said, a direction. More impressive than Mr. Sherman's pianistic command was the psychic stamina that pursued every note of music before him. This concentration never faltered through the stated program and the four encores I stayed for afterward. Age and the absence of constant public performance are the enemies of so many musicians, but not this one. Mr. Sherman's enigmatic career poses a question. He has been on the threshold of major careers several times and has always pulled back. His main fame is as a teacher, and when he plays, it is often in venues too humble for his abilities. Has this reclusiveness deprived us or him, or has it preserved his special qualities? Both may be true. "William C. Valles" <[log in to unmask]>