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Topic: Etudes for Transcendental Technique  (Read 3812 times)

Offline danielsmith

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Etudes for Transcendental Technique
on: October 25, 2009, 04:04:53 AM
Does anybody know if there are any recordings of Liszt Etudes for Transcendental Technique  (the ones published in 1838, before the revisions in 1851)?

Thanks
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Offline abj

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #1 on: October 25, 2009, 04:14:49 AM
There is a CD of Janice Weber performing these. It might be hard to find though.
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Offline retrouvailles

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #2 on: October 25, 2009, 04:52:35 AM
If it's Liszt, Leslie Howard has recorded it.
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Offline thierry13

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #3 on: October 25, 2009, 05:36:21 AM
Quote from: retrouvailles on October 25, 2009, 04:52:35 AM
If it's Liszt, Leslie Howard has recorded it.

That's kind of sad.
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Offline thalbergmad

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #4 on: October 25, 2009, 09:55:47 AM
Quote from: thierry13 on October 25, 2009, 05:36:21 AM
That's kind of sad.

It is in my opinion. The Weber recording is superior.

Thal
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Offline richard black

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #5 on: October 25, 2009, 04:10:19 PM
Quote from: thierry13 on October 25, 2009, 05:36:21 AM
That's kind of sad.

No, just a bald statement of fact since Howard made a point of recording the complete Liszt piano music (er, assuming he's finished - I can't remember for sure whether he has or not!).
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Offline thalbergmad

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #6 on: October 25, 2009, 06:42:39 PM
He has finished and one could draw the conclusion that the task began to bore him judging by some of the playing.

Thal
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Offline richard black

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #7 on: October 25, 2009, 06:56:22 PM
Quote
one could draw the conclusion that the task began to bore him judging by some of the playing.

If that's true (I've only heard a very few snippets from it) I for one wouldn't entirely blame him. I can't quite imagine recording the complete output of _any_ reasonably prolific composer and loving every minute of it. I mean, even composers often say that they grow tired of some of their stuff! Complete recorded editions are fun in a way, I suppose, but mostly for the purchaser....
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Offline thalbergmad

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #8 on: October 25, 2009, 07:35:46 PM
The ones in which i fear he failed were mostly the operatic transcriptions. They often require some flair, speed and liberty taking, but they were too "straight" to interest me.

Thal
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Offline antichrist

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #9 on: October 26, 2009, 02:39:05 AM
howard's recording bad, especially wild jagd(first version)
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Offline danielsmith

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #10 on: October 27, 2009, 05:30:31 AM
Thanks everyone!
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Offline lontano

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #11 on: November 22, 2009, 01:45:00 AM
Quote from: richard black on October 25, 2009, 06:56:22 PM
[one could draw the conclusion that the task began to bore him judging by some of the playing.]
If that's true (I've only heard a very few snippets from it) I for one wouldn't entirely blame him. I can't quite imagine recording the complete output of _any_ reasonably prolific composer and loving every minute of it. I mean, even composers often say that they grow tired of some of their stuff! Complete recorded editions are fun in a way, I suppose, but mostly for the purchaser....
And how many CDs are in the Howard set? Nearly 100 I'm guessing, almost certainly making it (quite possibly) the largest dedicated recording project of a single composer by a single performer ever accomplished. It would be remarkable if he didn't experience some sense of doubt, disillusion and remorse over the time and cost for undertaking the project, knowing that the major purchasers of the full set would be limited primarily to universities, major libraries, a few associations and probably not very many individuals. And considering how important (and frequent) selling recordings of Liszt of/by younger/better performers is, how could anyone believe their personal interpretation of such a massive catalog of such a popular composer could impress enough potential buyers that he could make a profit on the task? Certainly there are many pieces in the set that would never likely be recorded otherwise, which for scholars is of considerable value, but that only takes one so far.

How many people would really enjoy listening to Idil Biret interpret ALL of Chopin's music over the enormous and varied other talents out there who can do it better, or just more varied in performance style?

My thoughts.

L.
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Offline ahinton

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Re: Etudes for Transcendental Technique
Reply #12 on: November 22, 2009, 08:39:49 AM
Quote from: lontano on November 22, 2009, 01:45:00 AM
And how many CDs are in the Howard set? Nearly 100 I'm guessing, almost certainly making it (quite possibly) the largest dedicated recording project of a single composer by a single performer ever accomplished. It would be remarkable if he didn't experience some sense of doubt, disillusion and remorse over the time and cost for undertaking the project, knowing that the major purchasers of the full set would be limited primarily to universities, major libraries, a few associations and probably not very many individuals. And considering how important (and frequent) selling recordings of Liszt of/by younger/better performers is, how could anyone believe their personal interpretation of such a massive catalog of such a popular composer could impress enough potential buyers that he could make a profit on the task? Certainly there are many pieces in the set that would never likely be recorded otherwise, which for scholars is of considerable value, but that only takes one so far.

How many people would really enjoy listening to Idil Biret interpret ALL of Chopin's music over the enormous and varied other talents out there who can do it better, or just more varied in performance style?

My thoughts.

L.
And largely very pertinent ones. Howard is, without doubt, a first-rate Liszt scholar but I have to agree that, this achievement purely as an achievement notwithstanding, far too many of the performances strewn across what is indeed now 99 CDs (including the introduction to the set and the two New Discoveries discs) leave rather a lot to be desired - so much so, in fact, that it is difficult not to regard the whole as some kind of unique reference library in which perhaps the most striking items are those which have yet to be recorded by anyone else; one might be forgiven for wondering if Hyperion have a dedicated Howard/Liszt room in the premises where they store their not inconsiderable stock...

Best,

Alistair
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New Piano Piece by Chopin Discovered – Free Piano Score
A previously unknown manuscript by Frédéric Chopin has been discovered at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum. The handwritten score is titled “Valse” and consists of 24 bars of music in the key of A minor and is considered a major discovery in the wold of classical piano music. Read more
 

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