Overview
Introduction
100 Transcendental Studies by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji are a series of 100 piano études written between 1940 and 1944. In 2006, Swedish pianist Fredrik Ullén began a project to record them in their entirety. As of 2019 he has released five volumes, covering Nos. 1 through 83, through BIS records.
Description
They vary greatly in style, character, and length, with the shortest running about a minute and the longest running approximately 45 minutes. As with most of Sorabji's works, the vast majority of these were not published or premiered during the composer's lifetime. According to the Sorabji Archive, many of the etudes have yet to be recorded or publicly performed.
Sorabji almost certainly intended for these Études to be compared with Franz Liszt's Transcendental Études. The style of Sorabji's études is typical of his work, consisting of atonal melodies, dissonant harmonies, complex polyrhythms, rapid changes in texture and mood, and extreme technical challenges for the pianist to work through. However, individually taken, these are some of the shortest pieces of music Sorabji ever composed. A complete list of etudes is included below. World première pianists and dates from The Sorabji Archive.
