Liszt Piano Works

[The new erato]

Cziffra and Bolet both look like good options. I'll keep my eyes open for a sale on either one or both of these boxes. Thanks again everyone!

The 5 disc Cziffra set is available for around 14 £ on mdt. Cheap enough for me at least.

[George]

This arrived today! (Marston subscribers (like myself) get new releases before they are available for sale. You can subscribe for only all piano or all vocal releases or both.) I plan to listen to listen to this and post impressions soon.

Liszt Illuminated
Claudio Arrau, Jorge Bolet, and Gunnar Johansen
American Liszt Society Laureates
52065-2 (2 CDs)

It is with great pride and pleasure that the American Liszt Society sponsors the release of this 2 CD set on the occasion of the bicentennial of the birth of Franz Liszt. This compilation preserves contributions of three pianists (all American Liszt Society medal winners) to the performance legacy of the compositions and transcriptions of Liszt. Claudio Arrau, Jorge Bolet, and Gunnar Johansen each provide a unique perspective on Liszt's genius. Insightful notes are provided by Frank Cooper, Research Professor of Musicology at the University of Miami. In addition, personal recollections of their respective teachers are provided by Ira Levin, Gordon Rumson, and Garrick Ohlsson. Fully sponsored by the American Liszt Society.

[Mandryka]

This arrived today! (Marston subscribers (like myself) get new releases before they are available for sale. You can subscribe for only all piano or all vocal releases or both.) I plan to listen to listen to this and post impressions soon.

Liszt Illuminated
Claudio Arrau, Jorge Bolet, and Gunnar Johansen
American Liszt Society Laureates
52065-2 (2 CDs)

Is the Bolet previously unreleased live material? And what Arrau did they choose? -- I'd be surprised if Marston has unreleased Arrau material, but you never know.

I listened to Gekic in the Dante sonata the other day and I thought it was very good. I'd say it's worth getting hold of that CD

I also enjoyed  Nyiregyhazi in Sunt Lacrymae Rerum.  -- maybe the best thing I have heard from him. Here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/ljKu1SK2UHg

I'd be intersted to know if anyone knows  any other paticularly successful performances of the three threnodies from the end of Book 3. I like dark, dark, tragic, morbid, gothic things. 

[George]

Is the Bolet previously unreleased live material? And what Arrau did they choose? -- I'd be surprised if Marston has unreleased Arrau material, but you never know.

Bolet:

Valse Impromptu in A flat, Tre Sonetti di Petrarca - Private Recordings
Ballade No. 2 - April 3, 1986 - Carnegie Hall
Rhapsodie Espagnole - Feb 5, 1972 - Tully Hall

Arrau:

Dante Sonata - Aug 1982 - Salzburg
B Minor Sonata - Nov 1977 - Toronto
Gnomenreigen - May 1963 - Lugano

I listened to Gekic in the Dante sonata the other day and I thought it was very good. I'd say it's worth getting hold of that CD

Yeah, Gekic is great. One of the best living pianists, IMO.

[Mandryka]

John Ogdon made some Liszt studio recordings in Japan in 1972. God alone knows what his state of mind was when he played them, but I for one have never heard anything like it. Reckless virtuosity, jaw dropping speed, depth of feeling and spontaneous. Good sound, close miked. This has to be heard to be believed. Released recently for the first time and available from cdjapan.co.jp and all other good outlets no doubt. cdjapan was much cheeper than amazon even when you factor in transport costs, at least if you pay in sterling.

[asin]B000BV7T3O[/asin]

[abidoful]

-Transcendental Studies by Laszlo Simon on BIS. As far as I can remember it was the recording I have enjoyed most. Very enjoyable, though not "extravagant" like Cziffra.
- Ballades 1-2 and Polonaises 1-2 by Leslie Howard. Very enjoyable pieces and performances!

[JerryS]

Is the Bolet previously unreleased live material? And what Arrau did they choose? -- I'd be surprised if Marston has unreleased Arrau material, but you never know.

I listened to Gekic in the Dante sonata the other day and I thought it was very good. I'd say it's worth getting hold of that CD

I also enjoyed  Nyiregyhazi in Sunt Lacrymae Rerum.  -- maybe the best thing I have heard from him. Here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/ljKu1SK2UHg

I'd be intersted to know if anyone knows  any other paticularly successful performances of the three threnodies from the end of Book 3. I like dark, dark, tragic, morbid, gothic things. 

I too liked the dark, desolate Nyiregyhazi performance. Sunt Lacrymae Rerum and the Legendes were the highlights of the two Nyiregyhazi disks for me.

While not particularly dark or tragic, I've found the passion and poetry of these performances by Mykola Suk very special, in spite of some wrong and dropped notes. There is also a video of Mr. Suk  playing the Liszt B Minor Sonata on Youtube; it may be the same live performance recorded for this CD.

[asin] B002MJM8DY[/asin]

Liszt's Funerailles and Malediction are quite dark. I prefer the Malediction version with the string sextet.

[asin] B00000JISI[/asin]

The late piano works can be terrifyingly bleak, despairing of life or meaning. Unstern is a good example.

[asin] B0000014FJ[/asin]

Hmmm, the Liszt photos on the Suk and Cohen covers appear to be two poses from the same session! 

[George]

I like dark, dark, tragic, morbid, gothic things. 

Have you tried online dating?

[Mandryka]

I've started to get interested in big Liszt transcriptions.

It's quite hard to find recordings which make these things sound worthwhile and my experience of the big sets - Howard, Jando-- has been disappointing.  But so far I've found three performances which take these works to another level -- totally capturing, enhancing the mystery of the originals. They are:

1. Gould's Beethoven 6
2. Nikolai Petrov's Symphony Fantastique (Russian Piano School)
2. Roger Woodward's Beethoven 3

The latter has never made it to CD, but a good transfer is on symphonyshare and I can tell you that it is very very very fine indeed.

Has anyone explored Katsaris's Beethoven/Liszt? -- Are there any special ones there? I have the CD with 4 on but it hasn't made an impact on me. He's not a pianist I have ever warmed to, even in Chopin Waltzes.

Also one thing I would quite like to have is a good performance of the Hummel/Liszt septet. Again Howard disappointed but I sense that this could be a nice piece of music in the right hands.

[Mandryka]

I too . . .

Yes thanks for those. I enjoyed the Suk Hungarian Rhapsodies a lot. I would like more of him -- this is some of the finest Liszt playing I have heard recently.  I don't know a better HR 12 except maybe Cortot ( shame Levy is a bit disappointing there). HR 13 no less impressive, even if it doesn't quite efface memories of Busoni's extraordinary recording. The HR 8 is the best I haveheard ever. Full stop.

The sonata is distinctive too.

All on spotify.

I haven't heard the Cohen CD in the picture but I have heard his Dante Sonata and I thought it was good .

[Lisztianwagner]

Arrau's version of the Trascendental Etudes is extremely beautiful, so passionate and refined, maybe one of the best performances I've ever listened to! Ashkenazy didn't record the whole set, but those etudes he played are superb as well.
I might suggest Campanella for the Hungarian Rhapsodies, and Richter both for the Piano Sonata and the Piano Concertos, they're absolutely great Liszt interpreters in my opinion.
For the Années de pèlerinage I could recommend the set with Brendel and Kocsis, definitely wonderful.

Ilaria

[George]

Arrau's version of the Trascendental Etudes is extremely beautiful, so passionate and refined, maybe one of the best performances I've ever listened to!

It's wonderful! 

[Holden]

It's wonderful! 

I have to agree that the Arrau TEs are very special. I have performances by Cziffra, Ovchinnikov and Gekic yet the Arrau is not bombastic and captures the nature of these works very well. That said the other three definitely have a lot to offer in this repertoire.

[Lisztianwagner]

Ovchinnikov

I agree, Ovchinnikov's Trascendental Etudes are excellent as well.

Ilaria

[Mood4Classical]

Cziffra has been always hailed as the reincarnation of Liszt. I like the Etudes with Arrau and the b minor Sonata with Richter.. no surprises

But one excellent set is by France Clidat that Decca re-issued for Liszt anniversary, recorded in the seventies. Clidat is nicknamed Madame Liszt, she is as well a famous instructor based in Paris [asin]B003W16T0Y[/asin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqR_oFMwSy4

[zmic]

Heard this one playing in a record shop and bought it on the spot:

[asin]B004I7MCHU[/asin]

Disclaimer: I own no other CDs composed by Liszt

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Heard this one playing in a record shop and bought it on the spot:

Disclaimer: I own no other CDs composed by Liszt

I don't own this disc but as a lifelong Liszt fan the samples I've heard (internet) sound mouthwatering. Good choice, I'd say.

[Wanderer]

Heard this one playing in a record shop and bought it on the spot:

You did well.

[Leo K.]

Heard this one playing in a record shop and bought it on the spot:

[asin]B004I7MCHU[/asin]

Disclaimer: I own no other CDs composed by Liszt

I just got this, and I'm struck by his vision of Liszt, his performances are absolutely stunning!

[zamyrabyrd]

I just got the above intriguing 10 CD set that has a lot of Liszt, namely the Hungarian Rhapsodies and the Transcendental Etudes.

But I'd like to discuss something else, the Rigoletto Paraphrase that I personally never took to, although I like or actually LOVE most of Liszt's music. Hearing Cziffra do this was actually a revelation as it is usually played as an empty virtuosic display.
He captures the anguish of Gilda, the bold propositioning of the Duke and the scorn of Maddelena.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk-lLgqMTWQ

Seeing this back to back with Pavarotti and Grubernova makes it all more visual and real:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgrCdM4jKzI

ZB