liszt recordings

[Saturn]

Can anyone recommend any recordings of Liszt pieces for me?

Which pianists were/are really good at Liszt?  The only one I can think of is Cziffra.

[erik-]

- Cziffra for his mono recordings of the raphsodies
- Etudes d'execution transcendante by Claudio Arrau
- Sonata in b minor by Martha Argerich
- Les annees de pelerinage by Lazar Berman
- the 2 piano concerti by Claudio Arrau

Enjoy

[donjuan]

I like Jeno Jando's recording of the Hungarian Rhapsodies.  He really captures the Gypsy tone of the music.  Jorge Bolet is great for the brilliant pieces like Waldesrauschen, or the Fountains of the Villa d"este, but he is horribly boring and mechanical for the loud, highly virtuosic works like Grand Galop Chromatique, the Don Juan Fantasy, or most of the transcendental etudes.

Leslie Howard's huge repertoire of liszt can be characterized by really great performances (Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme BACH) and really bad performances (Grand Concert Fantasy from Sonnambula, Reminiscences des Puritains).

Overall, however... I think Cziffra is the best!!  for everything...period.

donjuan  

[willcowskitz]

I don't know if Arcadi Volodos has recorded any more Rhapsodies besides the second one but in my opinion he plays with exceptional clarity and continuity. Alfred Brendel has also recorded a good version of the (once again) second Rhapsody, so you might want to check him out.

What comes to Cziffra he's a superstar with his hands alright, but his interpretations are often very subjective so you either like him or not. Also the recordings I've heard by him, which cover most of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, Mephisto Waltz, his own arrangement of Islamey, Ravel's Jeaux d'Eau to name a few, are either played on a dry piano or the editors have really made the recordings sound horribly sharp and dry, as if the acoustics of the spatial sound had been compressed. Cziffra also often gets overruled by his own technical superiority and it seduces him to to play in an emotionally distant manner. The best recording that I've heard from him is definately his own arrangement of the William Tell Overture - its DAZZLING.

[donjuan]

Ive never heard him play the William Tell Overture.  Where did you find a recording?

[zhiliang]

Horowitz for the Piano Sonata in B Minor and also the Ballade No. 2

Richter for the 2 Liszt Piano Concertos

Bolet for the 2 Concert Etudes Gnomenreigen and Waldesrauschen, Overture to Tannhauser

Berman for the Transcendental Etudes

Zhiliang

[donjuan]

Id second Horowitz for the BMinor Sonata and Ballade 2.
Great suggestion, by the way!!

[Saturn]

I've heard Argerich's Liszt, and I've seen the clip of Cziffra on the video "Art of the Piano." I'll try to acquire some of the other recordings mentioned.

Thanks for the recommendations.

[donjuan]

I've seen the clip of Cziffra on the video "Art of the Piano."

thats a great clip, isnt it?  I must have watched it 50 or more times..

[Saturn]

It's an EXCELLENT clip.  I watch it over and over and marvel at his crazy technique.

By the way, what piece is he playing?  It sounds familiar, but I don't know much Liszt.

Most of the clips in that video are excellent, but the commentary is completely pointless.  I feel like punching someone in the face when I see the commentary.  But the footage of great pianists makes it worth it.  I like the Hofmann clip too.

[thracozaag]

It's an EXCELLENT clip.  I watch it over and over and marvel at his crazy technique.

By the way, what piece is he playing?  It sounds familiar, but I don't know much Liszt.

Most of the clips in that video are excellent, but the commentary is completely pointless.  I feel like punching someone in the face when I see the commentary.  But the footage of great pianists makes it worth it.  I like the Hofmann clip too.

 It's the Grand Gallop Chromatique...played at Warp Factor 9.  I have an even crazier video performance of that from a live concert in Tokyo

koji

[donjuan]

Last year I tried to play Grand Galop Chromatique.  I finished learning it, but the result was a mess with no sense of time.  A word of advice: dont try to play like cziffra- it always ends up sounding like crap.  Only cziffra can play like cziffra.
donjuan

[alejo_90]

Alfred Brendel has also recorded a good version of the (once again) second Rhapsody, so you might want to check him out.

willcowskitz, have you got an mp3 of it ? !!!! Please I need it !!

Last year I tried to play Grand Galop Chromatique.  I finished learning it, but the result was a mess with no sense of time.  A word of advice: dont try to play like cziffra- it always ends up sounding like crap.  Only cziffra can play like cziffra.
donjuan

haha, true..

Best
Alex

[Kassaa]

Hmm, I find Leslie Howard boring. Jorge Bolet made me love Liszt , Bolet for the sonata, Argerich for the concerto, Andsnes for the Dante sonata.

[kreso]

Liszt-Transcendental Etudes-Arrau, Berman, Berezovsky (wierd but great) Richter (selection)
Hungarian Rapsodies-Cziffra, Szidon
Spanish Rapsody-Berman, Gilels
Les annees de pelerinage-Berman, Brendel-Kocsis(third one)
Sonata in b minor-Richter, Horowitz, Brendel, Gilelsm Pogorelich
La campanella-Cziffra, Yundi Li
Don Juan Fantasy-Horowitz
Mephisto Waltz-Kissin, Cziffra, Perahia
Concertos-Richter (live from London), Zimerman (with Ozawa)
Grand Galop Chromatic-Cziffra
........

[donjuan]

I like Jeno Jando's recording of the Hungarian Rhapsodies.  He really captures the Gypsy tone of the music.  Jorge Bolet is great for the brilliant pieces like Waldesrauschen, or the Fountains of the Villa d"este, but he is horribly boring and mechanical for the loud, highly virtuosic works like Grand Galop Chromatique, the Don Juan Fantasy, or most of the transcendental etudes.

holy crap this is an old thread! Ive changed so much; I love Bolet so much more now!

[rob47]

Don Juan Fantasy-Horowitz

hahaha ic. Do you mean Hamelin? Ogdon? Bolet?Howard? Duchable? Wild?Lang?Lisitsa?

[kreso]

hahaha ic. Do you mean Hamelin? Ogdon? Bolet?Howard? Duchable? Wild?Lang?Lisitsa?

Of course, they are all great-but I couldn't remember them when I post this list. But I think that Horowitz is really great!! (if it is his performance-it says that it is Horowitz, but actually Horo never recorded it..so I don't know...

[jehangircama]

Gregory Ginsburg, but i haven't heard cziffra or too many others playing liszt so i am probably mistaken. but his recordings are good, especially the eugene onegin paraphrase