In reply to paul mitchell:
> Adept but a little self congratulatory,and mechanical.
Liszt is certainly self-congratulatory. But wouldn't you be if you were the best pianist who ever lived? I've also heard his music described as mechanical before, but I don't really get it. It's certainly very tightly structured, but I don't find the effect at all mechanical. To me, the 12 Transcendental Etudes are music from another realm, and no.5 (Gordon's link) is my favourite. It's like a little gang of impish spirits have sneaked into our material reality and are running amuck.
As for Trivinof's interpretation, well, he's clearly possessed by the spirit of Liszt. I think to hear him play is to witness the supernatural. And he's not all manic bashing, he can do exquisite heartbreaking beauty as well:
If the Liszt was some fierce, dynamic roof; then the Chopin is a entirely holdless friction slab. Who's to say which is more difficult?