Schubert, Liszt, Tchaikovsky (cd)

Gramophone Magazine
July 2026
Editor's Choice

Lukas Geniušas (piano), Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Modestas Pitrėnas

Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasy, Op. 56
Schubert: "Wanderer" Fantasy in C major, D. 760 (Arr. Liszt for Piano & Orchestra, S. 366)

Pianist Lukas Geniušas dedicates his latest album to the fantasy—a musical template synonymous with structural liberation that became a cherished vessel for the Romantics. With the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen under Modestas Pitrėnas, Geniušas presents a rare, refreshing pairing of two monumental fantasies for piano and orchestra written just six decades apart.

The album features Franz Liszt’s brilliant 1851 transcription of Franz Schubert’s "Wanderer" Fantasy. Schubert originally based the work on his own Lied, Der Wanderer, building a continuous, cyclical four-movement structure out of a single monothematic journey. Liszt, fascinated by this architecture, amplified its textures into a thrilling concerto setting. Paired with it is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s rarely recorded Concert Fantasy from 1884. Leaning closer to late-Romantic classicism, Tchaikovsky leverages absolute virtuosity, explosive cadenzas, and spectacular symphonic colors, giving the soloist immense space to shine.

"It's one of those recordings when everyone is on the same page from beginning to end, and palpably enjoying themselves. Lukas Geniušas, one of the brightest talents of his generation, brings an admirable variety of touch and colour to both scores." — Gramophone Magazine, July 2026)