The Transcendental Études are a collection of 12 piano pieces by the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. Together with the Piano Sonata in B minor, they are considered part of the major works by Liszt and, in general, they are unanimously recognised as some of the most difficult works ever written for this instrument. Robert Schumann affirmed that the 12 Études could be played only by “ten or twelve pianists in the world, at best.” But, as was the case for Chopin’s Études Op. 10 and Op. 25, these pieces are not only a mere demonstration of virtuosity: they are some of the most authentic musical compositions! And the new expressive possibilities that Liszt explored in his 12 Trascendental Études—even beyond the canonical piano playing—had an important influence on the composers of the next decades, including Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Béla Bartók, György Ligeti, and many others! Come and discover this masterpiece, played by some of the best pianists including Yunchan Lim at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022!

Browse recordings of 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139

Stream Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139 on medici.tv!

medici.tv is the best online platform for streaming Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139 live, on replay or VOD, offering you a virtual ticket to the most exciting concerts with the world’s best artists and orchestras captured in HD video. Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études are unanimously considered a pinnacle of virtuosity in the piano repertoire, but they are no less appreciated for their musical quality, which earned them a place in the best concert halls in the world, from Paris to Verbier! On medici.tv, you can find some of the best interpretations of Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études.

A seat at the best venues to discover Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139 streaming on medici.tv

A selection of our programs is available for free for all registered users and the rest can be unlocked with a subscription. Live videos, replays or VOD stream right to your living room from the most renowned concert halls in the world, and you can watch our concerts on your biggest screens with AirPlay, Chromecast, and our new Roku app! Come and discover the most beautiful interpretation of Franz Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139, on medici.tv, wherever you want, wherever you like!

The greatest artists of our time perform Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, S. 139 on medici.tv, your #1 classical streaming platform 

Composed between 1826 and 1852, the first version of Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études was published under the title of Études en douze exercices, when the composer was only 15 years old! Together they form a cycle of 12 program music pieces, and in fact, 10 of the 12 Transcendental Études are titled by the author himself with names evocative of their nature. They include, among others: No. 3 Scenery, No. 4 Mazeppa, No. 5 Wills o’ the Wisp, No. 8 Wild Hunt, No. 11 Evening Harmonies, No. 12
Snow-Whirls. Besides, many of the titles from Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études reference literary works. Liszt drew inspiration from Victor Hugo, Goethe’s Faust—which in turn would inspire Hector Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust—from Beethoven “Eroica” Symphony, Brothers Grimm, Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal… And you, are you able to find other references? On medici.tv, you can find some of the best interpretations of Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Études, played by some of today’s best artists, including Evgeny Kissin, Alim Beisembayev, and Yunchan Lim.