Franz Liszt (1811-86)

Started by Lethevich, September 28, 2008, 07:11:41 AM

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greg

I do prefer the piano version, though the orchestration was interesting. The piano version seems to live up to its title better, too.


jlaurson

#182
Complete (original) Liszt on the Piano... long, long before Howard ever did it:

Article about France Clidat and Decca's re-issue of those recordings for the Liszt-year: ( in French )
http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2010/11/27/l-integrale-de-liszt-pour-piano-reeditee-dans-la-douleur_1445818_3246.html


Liszt Ferenc
Complete (original) Piano Works
France Clidat
Decca, 14 CDs
(40 Euros)

Bogey

Picked up a piece of vinyl today still in the shrinkwrap:



SIDE 1 Stereo
En Reve-Nocturne
Ballade No.2, b minor
Sunt Iacrymae rerum, en mode hongrois(from the 3rd Year, Annees de Pelerinage)
Abschied

(Recorded in Los Angeles, September 1974)

SIDE 2 Mono
Legendes
St. Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots


About the recording (from the web):

Liszt was not only one of the greatest teachers of his century, but was also one of the two most influential performers, a supreme virtuoso who revolutionized the keyboard with his bombastic playing. He was also considered the greatest improviser of all time, unable to resist recomposing even a new score as he sight-read it for the very first time. The most extraordinary evidence of Lisztian playing arose nearly a century after his death in a most unlikely guise. Ervin Nyiregyhazi, born in Budapest in 1903, became enthralled and obsessed with Liszt. Those who had known the master lauded the teenager as his spiritual heir. But after a series of brilliant debuts and ecstatic reviews of his mesmerizing playing, Nyiregyhazi dropped out of sight. Fifty years and nine marriages later he resurfaced in 1973 in a Los Angeles flophouse. Having barely touched a keyboard in decades, he was coaxed into a recital in a local church, part of which (two Liszt "Legendes") was taped on a cheap cassette deck. Issued on Desmar LP IPA 111, this is one of the most intense performances ever recorded, with a power and a spirituality beyond anything else in the realm of modern experience. Following his rediscovery, Nyiregyhazi went on to became a critical darling and cut several studio albums, but none approached what he had achieved in that one astounding concert in which he resurrected the spirit of Liszt just once in our time.
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

abidoful

I've heard Nyiregyhazi playing Mazeppa, it's on YouTube and it's WOW. I mean charming, not ugly as the piece usually sounds!

OzRadio

My Liszt collection is small; his symphonic poems, piano concertos, and piano sonata in B minor. Is anyone collecting the Naxos series of piano music, 30+ discs at this point?

Lethevich

Now that the Hyperion set has been boxed, it would probably be more cost-efficient (and in-depth) to go for that one. Especially now that much the original issues will probably go to clearance outlets. The few discs I've heard from the Naxos series have been good to very good, although Hyperion's documentation is better.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

Scarpia

Quote from: Lethe on February 02, 2011, 06:20:50 PM
Now that the Hyperion set has been boxed, it would probably be more cost-efficient (and in-depth) to go for that one. Especially now that much the original issues will probably go to clearance outlets. The few discs I've heard from the Naxos series have been good to very good, although Hyperion's documentation is better.

Hyperion is also selling the individual volumes from their web site at half-price at the moment.  The megabox is 1.5 pounds per disc at mdt, but there are a lot of discs in there with really obscure music.

Mirror Image

Yes, I'm going to buy this when it comes out:

[asin]B004G7FFF8[/asin]

99 CDs....wow!

snyprrr

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 02, 2011, 07:18:16 PM
Yes, I'm going to buy this when it comes out:

[asin]B004G7FFF8[/asin]

99 CDs....wow!

Can you see everyone's eyes getting big? :o mmm,... color coded! :P

abidoful

Quote from: abidoful on January 29, 2011, 01:30:12 AM
I've heard Nyiregyhazi playing Mazeppa, it's on YouTube and it's WOW. I mean charming, not ugly as the piece usually sounds!
Just want to make it clear that I do not think that Mazeppa is ugly---it's not, I have just heard people playing it ugly.

marvinbrown

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 02, 2011, 07:18:16 PM
Yes, I'm going to buy this when it comes out:

[asin]B004G7FFF8[/asin]

99 CDs....wow!

  WOW indeed! That looks delicious!  I too would be interested in exploring this set!

  marvin

Lethevich

#192
I'm on a permanent mission going through that set in the piecemeal parts I have access to, and I have to say that the variability of Liszt's piano music is overstated. There are few duds, although a lot of it isn't crowd-pleasing, or particularly ambitious. If you think you'll enjoy the box, you are sure to love it. If you think you'll dislike the lesser works, then you've already convinced yourself you won't.

Also overstated are Howard's "flaws". He's not the most scintillating pianist, and in the major works recorded over and over there are bound to be many equally good or better interps, but his technical skills are remarkably fine in even the most obscure work - it's lucky that such a good pianist would commit to this project.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

mc ukrneal

Quote from: Lethe on February 03, 2011, 03:43:18 AM
I'm on a permanent mission going through that set in the piecemeal parts I have access to, and I have to say that the variability of Liszt's piano music is overstated. There are few duds, although a lot of it isn't crowd-pleasing, or particularly ambitious. If you think you'll enjoy the box, you are sure to love it. If you think you'll dislike the lesser works, then you've already convinced yourself you won't.

Also overstated are Howard's "flaws". He's not the most scintillating pianist, and in the major works recorded over and over there are bound to be many equally good or better interps, but his technical skills are remarkably fine in even the most obscure work - it's lucky that such a good pianist would commit to this project.
Just an FYI - I noticed that MDT will have the individual releases on sale for much of 2011 (as will Hyperion, but MDT is cheaper). Of course, Berkshire has a number of the releases as well, but they are hit and miss on what they have. I enjoy the ones I own, though I often wish Howard had injected a bit more personality/flair.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Scarpia

Quote from: ukrneal on February 03, 2011, 06:49:19 AM
Just an FYI - I noticed that MDT will have the individual releases on sale for much of 2011 (as will Hyperion, but MDT is cheaper). Of course, Berkshire has a number of the releases as well, but they are hit and miss on what they have. I enjoy the ones I own, though I often wish Howard had injected a bit more personality/flair.

I'm afraid I may have to get that colossal thing.  The mdt price is good but the shipping charge is an impressive 38 pounds (about $60).  I'll keep an eye on Amazon marketplace.  Amazon.com proper is discounting the pre-order from $400 to $310 but I suspect it will go lower when it is released and the marketplace sellers can jump in.

Scarpia

#195
Quote from: Lethe on February 03, 2011, 03:43:18 AMAlso overstated are Howard's "flaws". He's not the most scintillating pianist, and in the major works recorded over and over there are bound to be many equally good or better interps, but his technical skills are remarkably fine in even the most obscure work - it's lucky that such a good pianist would commit to this project.

Listened to a few excepts on Hyperion's web site, and I must say I find Howard competent but not particularly thrilling.  Did a side by side comparison with a few tracks on the Jorge Bolet Double Decca and Bolet was way more engaging to me.  At this point, 99 CDs of Howard doesn't sound that attractive.   :P

I wonder why Hyperion chose to undertake this project with a single pianist, rather than assigning different volumes to the various wonderful pianists they have under contract (Howard, Demidenko, Stephen Hough, Piers Lane, Hamelin, maybe even Angela Hewitt would have tried her hand at it). 

Lethevich

Quote from: Scarpia on February 04, 2011, 08:03:33 AM
Listened to a few excepts on Hyperion's web site, and I must say I find Howard competent but not particularly thrilling.  Did a side by side comparison with a few tracks on the Jorge Bolet Double Decca and Bolet was way more engaging to me.  At this point, 99 CDs of Howard doesn't sound that attractive.   :P

I wonder why Hyperion chose to undertake this project with a single pianist, rather than assigning different volumes to the various wonderful pianists they have under contract (Howard, Demidenko, Stephen Hough, Piers Lane, Hamelin, maybe even Angela Hewitt would have tried her hand at it).

I think that's kind of unfair, as Bolet is as good as Liszt playing gets. I can't think of anybody who equals - let alone beats - him in the Années de pèlerinage. To expect the best interpreter in the whole world for such a traversal is a bit too optimistic :P The Howard box is 100% for the lesser known works (i.e. the 85 other CDs after the greatest hits), and alongside that the Bolet box on Decca makes the ideal supplement.

It would've been interesting to see what other pianists could have done, but there is a fundamental problem - pianists like Demidenko, Hewitt and such have limited repertoires. I doubt they include much Liszt at all, let alone the lesser works. Howard's affinity for the composer must've made the choice of him obvious - although I agree, I would imagine that Hyperion would've hoped he could have wrung that last little juice out of the pieces, but given how "inside" Liszt's style he is, I'm not sure whether the results of using other pianists would've beaten the strong but unspectacular consistency that Howard brings. Simply put - few other pianists of his caliber, let alone higher, give a damn about learning such obscure music. I really admire the labour of love aspect of the whole project, and I'm not sure whether my opinion of the recordings is compromised by this feeling, but I definitely get a reoccurring vibe of Howard enjoying presenting each of these pieces as well as he can - it feels meticulous, which I suppose could also come across as drab. No doubt each piece could be improved upon by a performer focusing more closely on a select few works, but even now the series has completed, are there really many professional pianists out there who want to play this music?

Woah, I'm sounding all defensive ;D
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

Scarpia

Quote from: Lethe on February 04, 2011, 08:19:58 AM
I think that's kind of unfair, as Bolet is as good as Liszt playing gets. I can't think of anybody who equals - let alone beats - him in the Années de pèlerinage. To expect the best interpreter in the whole world for such a traversal is a bit too optimistic :P The Howard box is 100% for the lesser known works (i.e. the 85 other CDs after the greatest hits), and alongside that the Bolet box on Decca makes the ideal supplement.

It would've been interesting to see what other pianists could have done, but there is a fundamental problem - pianists like Demidenko, Hewitt and such have limited repertoires. I doubt they include much Liszt at all, let alone the lesser works. Howard's affinity for the composer must've made the choice of him obvious - although I agree, I would imagine that Hyperion would've hoped he could have wrung that last little juice out of the pieces, but given how "inside" Liszt's style he is, I'm not sure whether the results of using other pianists would've beaten the strong but unspectacular consistency that Howard brings. Simply put - few other pianists of his caliber, let alone higher, give a damn about learning such obscure music. I really admire the labour of love aspect of the whole project, and I'm not sure whether my opinion of the recordings is compromised by this feeling, but I definitely get a reoccurring vibe of Howard enjoying presenting each of these pieces as well as he can - it feels meticulous, which I suppose could also come across as drab. No doubt each piece could be improved upon by a performer focusing more closely on a select few works, but even now the series has completed, are there really many professional pianists out there who want to play this music?

Woah, I'm sounding all defensive ;D

I suppose that is true, I don't know how hard it would have been to convince other pianists adopt a moderate sized chunk of obscure Liszt repertoire.  And it would have been unfair to expect Howard to do the obscure parts and give the gems to others.  Oh well, I definitely have to get the Bolet box, though.


RJR

Quote from: jowcol on April 07, 2010, 12:35:11 PM
I hate to split hares,

but the term  is SUPER Genius. 

And, by following that line of thought, Verdi would be a SUPER Genius by association, since he wrote the Anvil Chorus.
Split hares? Good one!

RJR

#199
To Jowcol,
Don't put down Bach too much for composing to order every week, he had many mouths to feed.