Franz Liszt - A Critical Discography

[Holden]

If you want some truly deep and meaningful Liszt piano playing then the Cziffra Liszt box is the place to go. He goes beyond the bombast of most pianists and produces some wonderful insights into what Liszt intended.

I can't reproduce the cover because I'm on my iPad and am not sure how to do it.

NB I have this box obviously but it's now superfluous because I was one of the lucky ones who got the Cziffra big box when it was going very cheap.

[San Antone]

If you want some truly deep and meaningful Liszt piano playing then the Cziffra Liszt box is the place to go. He goes beyond the bombast of most pianists and produces some wonderful insights into what Liszt intended.

I can't reproduce the cover because I'm on my iPad and am not sure how to do it.

NB I have this box obviously but it's now superfluous because I was one of the lucky ones who got the Cziffra big box when it was going very cheap.

Are those different from these recordings?

[asin]B0040UEIAE[/asin]

This 5-CD box goes for $25.00

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I went to Amazon UK and bought The Complete Liszt Recordings (Fiorentino Edition, Vol. 2) for USD 31.40 - look forward to listening.

Great! Lets us know how your listening goes.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

FWIW the other big Fiorentino box from Piano Classics ("The Berlin Recordings," I think) is also gold - for the most part, it's the 70+ year old pianist recording pieces which had been in his repertoire for 40-50 years, many of them from memory and in single takes.

Gold, indeed. It's amazing how insightful he is (well, I guess that really shouldn't come as a surprise ), and his fingers couldn't be more youthful sounding.

The Schumann Fantasy is my, and I think Divertimentian's, and I think Jed Distler's, and probably very many other people's, #1 pick. (Uncoincidentally, it also has the slowest slow movement at 13 minutes.)

I can't think of another recording of the Fantasy I like better. And IIRC it's a fave of Holden's, too. In 2000 Gramophone magazine's International Piano Quarterly held a Fantasy shootout (comprising about 60 recordings) and the studio Fiorentino came out on top.   

[Leo K.]

Fiorentino is absolutely amazing. I just discovered his Chopin so I got this too:

[Michael Sayers]

Hi Everyone,

I set up a YouTube Franz Liszt playlist with many worthy items.  One item in particular that is interesting and not well known is Eric Heidsick's 1974 album with the B Minor Ballade.  The Sonata, also with him and in 1974, too is online.  Maybe someone here has some information on the grand piano used for those recordings?

For those who are curious, here is the playlist - Heidsick's B Minor Ballade recording is #41.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUUkZXeqINMAxpfbOSUoZ7Jtvdh8j_0E

I also highly recommend Martin Berkofsky's recording of Pater Noster, which is #16.  I knew Martin Berkosfky through a series of telephone calls and some postal correspondence.


Mvh,
Michael

[Holden]

Are those different from these recordings?

[asin]B0040UEIAE[/asin]

This 5-CD box goes for $25.00

Looks like they're the same. Really worth hearing - check out the  Amazon reviews.

[Mandryka]

https://www.youtube.com/v/KKy4QNvjH00

This early (1959) recording of the Dante Sonata by Cziffra is outstanding, is it released anywhere?

[San Antone]

This documentary about great pianists of the 20th century has a nice section on Cziffra, as well as many others of that generation.

https://www.youtube.com/v/vpiMAaPTze8

[Dancing Divertimentian]

https://www.youtube.com/v/KKy4QNvjH00

This early (1959) recording of the Dante Sonata by Cziffra is outstanding, is it released anywhere?

Yes, it's on an old Arkadia release. I have it. Torino, Jan. 22, 1959. The sound is excellent for its time and Cziffra is in amazing form. This is one of the live Cziffra discs I had in mind when I mentioned "live Cziffra recitals" earlier in the thread.



[asin]B00008EP2X[/asin]
Here's the pic:





 

[Mandryka]

Yes, it's on an old Arkadia release. I have it. Torino, Jan. 22, 1959. The sound is excellent for its time and Cziffra is in amazing form. This is one of the live Cziffra discs I had in mind when I mentioned "live Cziffra recitals" earlier in the thread.



[asin]B00008EP2X[/asin]
Here's the pic:

Thank you -- essential for anyone interested in the music I would think.

[Leo K.]

Cziffra has been lauded in several reviews I've read, but some consider it an acquired taste.  I have found a nice box set I might get.

Another recommendation for Cziffra's Transcendental Studies. It has great sound, and titanic playing that doesn't lack for nuance and color. Incredible really.

[Karl Henning]

You guys are making me feel yet more pleased that I pulled the trigger on this:

[asin]B0040UEIAE[/asin]

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Thank you -- essential for anyone interested in the music I would think.

Yes, indeed.

[king ubu]

I love Cziffra's Liszt - really wish I'd been into classical a wee bit earlier and could have gotten his big EMI box. But as it is, I got the one depicted above (plus the similar Chopin), and I also went for this:

details:

[asin]B000025VNH[/asin]



(I think there's some overlap, those MHV Budapest tracks are likely not from 1972-74, but that is the only info given ... the still in-print box is extremely sketchy on the info as well.)


Other than that, my favourites include Bolet (in general) and Ciccolini as well. And then some Horowitz ... and the sonata as recorded by John Ogdon.

My starting point was this box, bought for 10€ a few years ago:

[asin]B004Y7F4HY[/asin]
Contains some pretty good things, but I guess once you're hooked, the best of it ends up being duplicated ...

[Mandryka]

Yes, indeed.

I have it now, and I've had a chance to hear the sonata. The sound is better than youtube. I was expecting it to be so colourful, shades of grey and silver but colourful nonetheless.

Lots of excellent performances of this sonata - Pletnev for example, and Sofronitsky. And maybe Arrau, I have only a vague memory of Arrau though.

[Mandryka]

I love Cziffra's Liszt - really wish I'd been into classical a wee bit earlier and could have gotten his big EMI box. But as it is, I got the one depicted above (plus the similar Chopin), and I also went for this:

details:

[asin]B000025VNH[/asin]



(I think there's some overlap, those MHV Budapest tracks are likely not from 1972-74, but that is the only info given ... the still in-print box is extremely sketchy on the info as well.)


Other than that, my favourites include Bolet (in general) and Ciccolini as well. And then some Horowitz ... and the sonata as recorded by John Ogdon.

My starting point was this box, bought for 10€ a few years ago:

[asin]B004Y7F4HY[/asin]
Contains some pretty good things, but I guess once you're hooked, the best of it ends up being duplicated ...

The ones Iliked for the HRs are from 1956 - HR 2, 6, 12 and 15. The rest of his HRs that I've heard aren't my cup of tea.

[king ubu]

The ones Iliked for the HRs are from 1956 - HR 2, 6, 12 and 15. The rest of his HRs that I've heard aren't my cup of tea.

Those are all on the 5CD set, I think - the info on the 4CD set suggests only 12 and 15 are from earlier. However, I like all of it a lot. I might not have my ears attuned to such detail yet ...

[Karl Henning]

Or, they may be our cup of tea, just fine  0:)

[king ubu]

Or, they may be our cup of tea, just fine  0:)

Yes indeed! It's just that, after three years of intense listening to classical, more often than not I still feel like a newbie and make judgements with caution (though obviously I do make 'em - how did that dude Watzlawik once say: you cannot not judge  )