Liszt Opera Transcriptions

[snyprrr]

Shhh,.. I'm gonna see how this flies here!

Can I get any recommends? Howard gets very high marks, and the Naxos series has a lot of interesting pianists, and there is David Allen Wehr,... and lots of others.

Anyone?

[mc ukrneal]

Shhh,.. I'm gonna see how this flies here!

Can I get any recommends? Howard gets very high marks, and the Naxos series has a lot of interesting pianists, and there is David Allen Wehr,... and lots of others.

Anyone?

I have some of Howard's and they are pretty good. Cziffra did some good stuff too, though the sound is not always great. There are also some good versions from Bolet. I have several of the Naxos series and some of those are pretty good, though I'd have to get back to you as to which ones.

[Lisztianwagner]

I agree about Howard's interpretations, they're extremely fine and brilliant, certainly worth getting. About Cziffra, I appreciate his performance of Tannhäuser's Ouverture very much. Idil Biret also made some excellent recordings of Liszt's transcriptions.

[snyprrr]

I agree about Howard's interpretations, they're extremely fine and brilliant, certainly worth getting. About Cziffra, I appreciate his performance of Tannhäuser's Ouverture very much. Idil Biret also made some excellent recordings of Liszt's transcriptions.

mm, yes, I've seen that one


Michele Campanella also has a cheap set, but I'm not sure how this most refined of players would be in this wilder stuff; he does the spare Late pieces very nicely, however.

The only one I have so far is Les Huguenots by Cohen on Naxos, which I haven't heard yet (though the other things are scintillating).

I have several of the Naxos series and some of those are pretty good, though I'd have to get back to you as to which ones.

I'd appreciate that. I must say that the Rossini Overture is something I probably can't resist! The Liszt bubbles are going to my head, haha!!

[Sergeant Rock]

Off-topic perhaps but you really should hear Glenn Gould's own transcriptions of the Meistersinger Prelude, Götterdämmerung Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey, and a wonderfully languorous Siegfried Idyll.




Sarge

[mc ukrneal]

I'd appreciate that. I must say that the Rossini Overture is something I probably can't resist! The Liszt bubbles are going to my head, haha!!

Here are the ones I liked most:
Paraphrases of Rossini's Soirees Musicales and William Tell (vol 7): A bit more refined. If you are purely after pyrotechnics, this might not be 'the one'. This has a lot of wit and deftness.

Liszt: Donizetti Operatic Reminiscences and Transcriptions (vol 27): Excellent. Again, this has a nice balance, less focused on wowing you with pyrotechnics, but creates some beautiful sounds.

Wagner & Weber Transcriptions(vol33): A bit more umpff than some others in the Naxos series. I think Howard is better in some of these, but this is a lot cheaper. 

The best I've come across in the Naxos series is this (not transcriptions): Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante 1851 version with Jando. This is really good stuff. Not reserved, this comes right out and grabs you.

If you like Rossini transcriptions, you might also try a disc on Naxos: Fantasies on Operas by Rossini (composed by Thalberg). They are not transcriptions, but you might like the way some of Rossini's melodies are used in these pieces.

[springrite]

Ginsburg