Perhaps no 20th century composer for the piano was as technically demanding or as prolific as Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988), who became internationally famous for his extremely dense and fiendishly difficult keyboard works. Yet despite his global fame, due largely to the strenuous promotional efforts of such energetic pianists as Marc-André Hamelin, John Ogdon, and Jonathan Powell, his vast oeuvre is still largely unknown, because of the difficulty and expense of publishing his intricate and immense manuscripts. Furthermore, this music is so virtuosic, only the most skilled, muscular, and artistically committed musicians can approach such monuments of complexity as Le jardin parfumé, the Concerto per suonare da me solo, and perhaps the most mind-boggling of all Sorabji’s works, the four-hour long Opus Clavicembalisticum.

On the surface, Sorabji’s fantastically dense music resembles the apocalyptic works of Alexander Scriabin, though it is important to point out that Sorabji’s harmonies and textures are far more daunting to performers and listeners alike. Yet this challenging music is intensely rewarding, as these electrifying samples may convey.
 
Fantaisie Espagnole
Un nido de scatole
Djâmî
St. Bertrand de Comminges
Rosario d’arabeschi
Gulistan
Piano Sonata No. 4
Le jardin parfumé
Concerto per suonare da me solo e senza orchestra, per divertisi
Opus Clavicembalisticum