As much as I love Berman's flame-throwing virtuosity in the Transcendental Etudes, he sounds a little crass and superficial compared to Trifonov in this new release.. I've heard so many voices and nuances that no other pianist has brought out. (I've haven't listened to disc 2 yet, but no doubt that he works his magic in those pieces, too.) The sound is fantastic, although I'm not sure that 9 microphones are needed to capture the sound of a piano. I think this release can easily be called essential for Liszt or piano lovers.