Liszt: Sonata in B Minor; Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This reissue of classic 1969-1970 recordings offers indisputable proof that Arrau is one of the greatest Lisztians of them all. The centerpiece is his grandly rhetorical view of the B Minor Sonata, where his huge, bronze-tinged tone, echt-Romantic phrasing, and searching philosophizing take us where few pianists can, or dare, go. Arrau's spiritual quest matches Liszt's in a work that's often played as a series of virtuoso effects. Virtuosity is here in spades, but it's in the service of the music's meaning. The same applies to the rest of the program. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude often comes off as dull and overlong, but Arrau has you hanging on every phrase, so full of meaning does he make it. Vallée d'Obermann becomes a fascinating exploration of keyboard color and narrative tension, and the two etudes are invested with an unsurpassed abundance of tonal color and meaningful phrasing. Liszt recitals don't come any better than this. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 In C-Sharp Minor
Liebestraum No.3
Mephisto Waltz No.1
Funerailles (No.7 Of Harmonies Poetiques Et Religieuses)
Rigoletto: Conc Paraphrase
La Campanella

Tracks:

Die Forelle
Der Muller Und Der Bach
Wohin?
Lebe Wohl!
Das Wandern
Der Lindenbaum
Horch, Horch, Die Lerch
Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen
Die Post
Aufenthalt
Lob Der Tranen
Erlkonig
I. Allegro Con Fuoco
II. Adagio
III. Presto
IV. Allegro

Tracks:

Lento Assai - Allegro Energico -
Andante Sostenuto
Allegro Energico - Andante Sostenuto - Lento Assai
Valse Impromptu
I. 'Hohe Liebe' In A flat
II. 'Selinger Tod' In E Flat
III. 'O Lieb' In A Flat
Grand Galop Chromatique

Tracks:

I. Sposalizio
II Penseroso
III. Canzonetta Del Salvator Rosa
IV. Sonetto 47 Del Petrarca
V. Sonetto 104 Del Patrarca
VI. Sonetto 123: Del Petrarca
VII. Apres Une Lecture De Dance (Fant Quasi Son)

Tracks:

I. La Chapelle De Guillaume Tell
II. Au Lac De Wallenstadt
III. Pastorale
IV. Au Bord D'une Source
V. Orage
VI. Vallee D'Obermann
VII. Eglogue (Hirtengesang)
VIII. Le Mal Du Pays
IX. Les Cloches De Geneve

Tracks:

I Gondoliera
II. Canzone
III. Tarantella
Les Jeux D'eau A La Villa D'Este (No.4 Of Annees De Pelerinage, Troisieme Annee)
Benediction De Dieu Dans La Solitude: (No.3 Of Harmonies Poetiques Et Religieuses)
Ballade No.2 In B

Tracks:

I. Preludio: Presto
II. Molto Vivace
III. Paysage: Poco Adagio
IV. Mazeppa: Allegro
V. Feux Follets: Allegretto
VI. Vision: Lento
VII. Eroica: Allegro
VIII. Wilde Jagd: Presto Furioso
IX. Ricordanza: Andantino
X. Allegro Agitato Molto
XI. Harmonies Du Soir: Andantino
XII. Chasse-Neige: Andante Con Moto

Tracks:

Zwei Konzertetuden: I. Waldesrauschen
Zwei Konzertetuden: II. Gnomenreigen
I. Il Lamento
II. La Leggierezza
III. Un Sospiro
I. Andante Con Moto
II. Un Poco Piu Mosso
III. Lento Placido
IV. Quasi Adagio
V. Andantino
VI. Allegretto Sempre Cantabile
Reminiscences De Don Juan

Tracks:

Reminiscences De Norma
Totentanz (Danse Macabre)
Malediction
Fant On Hungarian Folk Themes

Customer Reviews:

Ethereal LIszt in Superb Sound.......2006-09-29

Piano playing of extraordinary romantic depth and breadth. Bolet is inside Liszt's mind, as Liszt's romantic self unfolds on the keyboard. It is as if Bolet is the master himself. Superlative recordings to boot!

A great collection of Liszt treasures.......2004-01-12

The booklet of this set has an interesting explanation of why Jorge Bolet stayed out of the spotlights for so long before taking up his -glorious- career. It was his devotion to Liszt. By then, in the 1950s, Liszt was still regarded as a B-composer (There are still people who tend to think so: I read someone who called Liszt `the father of all bar pianists'. Now, if you know a worse offence...). Only after Liszt's reputation had increased, Bolet could enter his `Indian summer', which lasted from about 1975 until his passing away in 1990. During this period, he was finally able to perform his favourite music as much as possible. This fine 9-disc set may indeed be Bolet's most important testament. Additionally, it's one of the most important Liszt collections on the market. But beware: there's much more than just Bolet, considering Liszt's piano works. I can't say this is the perfect set or near it. Still five stars, for some astonishing piano playing that we don't come across very often nowadays.

Bolet won a Gramophone Award for his 1st book of Années de Pelerinage, which is not strange when listening to the recordings. This is a portrait of a man who's entirely on his own, looking for his soul while wandering trough the beautiful Switzerland - I can't say it better than B. Johnson already did. It's Romantic nonsense, of course, but in Liszt's days it was a common idea, and it can still sweep me away. Bolet's superior tonal colouring - beautiful, but not too far-driven, for the risk it would almost be too intimidating - and his peaceful nature lift this music to the greatest heights. My only complaint would be the `Orage' piece: Bolet's technique can't quite handle it, and its aggressive nature is much less overwhelming as a result. Nevertheless, the rest of the pieces show him at his very best. So does the second year of the Années (that is oddly placed in the set before the first year by Decca). The Dante Sonata, one of Liszt's greatest pieces, fares very well under Bolet's hands.

Equally excellent were the Schubert Song Transcriptions. The transcriptions aren't very different from the original songs, but they are definitely interesting. Especially when someone like Bolet takes them under his hands! All songs are terrifically played, with real standouts like `Auf dem Wasser zu singen', `Der Mueller und der Bach' and `Erlkoenig'. Bolet's romantic touch (he may have been the last of his kind) lets the music unendingly flow. Brilliant!

These comments also apply to Liszt's Consolations, which are placed on another disc. Liszt shows here how much he's in debt to Schubert, and wrote music of a disarmingly lyrical nature. Bolet gives almost naively innocent readings of these pieces. Talking about singing music, why not include the Liebesträume, `Venezia e Napoli' and many, many other pieces as well. Although some people still regard Liszt as a bombastic composer, he was in fact much more active on the spiritual and lyrical area. It is largely this nature of Liszt that is put into the spotlights by Bolet. He is really terrific whenever music ought to sound peaceful and meditative.

But Liszt was also a stunning virtuoso. People may eschew him for that, but that's often without any good ground. The B minor Sonata and the Transcendental Etudes, to give some names, are not only pianistically but also musically amazing works. It takes to be both a good technician and a musician to play them well, and this is where Bolet occasionally fails. He was over 65 when he made these recordings, and I can't help but say that his technique was not anymore what it used to be. In many pieces you can hear him struggle.

In what may be the most difficult music Liszt wrote, the Transcendental Etudes, Bolet takes tempi that are almost too easy (e.g. no.10 should be `Allegro molto agitato' but Bolet plays it very moderately), perhaps because his technique was by then too limited to give the pieces a really impressive treatment. Even then, I do feel a ertain nobility in Bolet's slow approach that gives every study a dignified stature (and that's something you won't find with Kissin or Cziffra!). The sonata is similarly noble and yet tremendously powerful in its scope, even though Bolet may lack some technial control at isolated spots.

Anoter treacherous piece is the `Reminiscences de Don Juan', which is a transcription of no less an opera than -of course- Don Giovanni! Bolet plays this 20-minute piece with a lot of humour and swing: it's a great way to clean up your mind! Also recommendable are the Etudes de Concert (e.g. Waldesrauschen), whose light spirit is very well captured.

A treasure trove set overall, I can recommend it without any limitations. There's no other composer that suited Bolet as well as Liszt, and the vice versa may be true as well. But the pianist also has his weaker points, particularly regarding his technique, that wasn't what it used to be. Oh, and the piano sound is not always equally convincing: the instrument sounds a little shrill at times. But there's an amazing amount of colour in the instrument, and it allows Bolet to reachfor the deepest, darkest sonorities you've heard. This collection is therefore not just THE best Liszt: there are many more pianists who made supreme recordings of him (e.g. Arrau, Brendel, Richter) and I definitely recommend searching them out as well. After you've heard this!

An excellent collection of Liszt interpretations........2003-12-03

I was very impressed with Bolet's playing. His rendition of La Campanella is the best I've ever heard.

Liszt for the ages........2001-12-05

Both for those that would like to find out for the first time what Liszt is all about, and for those few that are very familiar with the Paganini of the 88: LOOK NO FURTHER!

It doesn't get any better than this.

After I heard throughout the seventies about this "unknown" great of the romantic repertoire, I was fortunate enough to see him for the first time about a month after he recorded the first issue of this now legendary Liszt series. While his technique may not have exactly been what it used to be before (e.g. Orage in Suisse of Les Annees), all the performances benefit from the wisdom of many, many years. While all the performances are of a uniform Olympic level, two issue stand out in my mind.

First, there is the cd of Schubert Liszt transcriptions. Bolet really sets the standards for "singing" on the piano. His version of "Der Muller und der Bach" has to be believed to be heard.

Most importantly though, there is "Suisse" the first year of Liszt's years of pilgrimage. I own this disc from the day it appeared on the shelves and still listen to it every month. Surely, there are more technically brilliant versions. For the true "Liszt Nuts", I would certainly advise Leslie Howard's version of "L'Album d'un voyageur", that contains the first version of many of the "Suisse" pieces, and some additional pieces that Frenz (for reasons that escape me completely) excluded from the later Suisse. Yet, nobody, not even Brendel or Berman, have come close to Bolet on delivering on the central theme of Suisse, man finding himself back in an exploration of nature.

While they stem from the earlier days of digital recording the recordings are still more than respectable and benefit greatly from Bolet's attention for color, aided by his favorite Bechstein.

Tracks:

Sonata In B Minor: I. Lento Assai - Allegro Energico -
Sonata In B Minor: II. Grandioso - Recitativo -
Sonata In B Minor: III. Andante Sostenuto -
Sonata In B Minor: IV. Allegro Energico
Harmonies Poetiques Et Religieuses: No.3 Benediction De Dieu Dans La Solitude: I. Moderato -
Harmonies Poetiques Et Religieuses: No.3 Benediction De Dieu Dans La Solitude: II. Andante -
Harmonies Poetiques Et Religieuses: No.3 Benediction De Dieu Dans La Solitude: III. Piu Sostenuto Quasi Preludio - Tempo I - Andante Semplice
Zwei Konzertetuden: Waldesrauschen
Zwei Konzertetuden: Gnomenreigen
Annees De Pelerinage: Premier Annee. Suisse: Vallee D'Obermann

Amazon.com

This reissue of classic 1969-1970 recordings offers indisputable proof that Arrau is one of the greatest Lisztians of them all. The centerpiece is his grandly rhetorical view of the B Minor Sonata, where his huge, bronze-tinged tone, echt-Romantic phrasing, and searching philosophizing take us where few pianists can, or dare, go. Arrau's spiritual quest matches Liszt's in a work that's often played as a series of virtuoso effects. Virtuosity is here in spades, but it's in the service of the music's meaning. The same applies to the rest of the program. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude often comes off as dull and overlong, but Arrau has you hanging on every phrase, so full of meaning does he make it. Vallée d'Obermann becomes a fascinating exploration of keyboard color and narrative tension, and the two etudes are invested with an unsurpassed abundance of tonal color and meaningful phrasing. Liszt recitals don't come any better than this. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

One of the best versions of this legendary Sonata!.......2006-11-12

I' d like to state I am not exactly a hard fan of Claudio Arrau, but that does not mean I am aware he always was a real champion in what concerns to this Hungarian composer.

He always was possessed by that visible rapport with that thundering and well articulated tune and powerful Romantic temperament; his octaves and arpeggios were carefully expressive always searching the accuracy and perfect balance between emotion and expression. Thanks to his febrile imagination, Arrau could depict and express the bitter confrontation between Faust and Mephistopheles with such brilliant tension, sinister perspective and sumptuous elegance. As a matter of fact, his legendary version of the Sonata in B minor, still stands out as one of the most prominent ever recorded.

The Grand Lisztian Pianist Claudio Arrau's Best Work.......2005-09-26

Where Liszt is concerned, Cladiu Arrau often got it right, as well as Chopin, who was influenced by Liszt. This music is brilliant technically and musically, while also being emotional and profound. The Sonata in B Minor is a transcendent piece of work for piano, and only the most virtuosic of pianists can pull it off. Liszt was a devil pianist, who wrote music that would seem to require more than ten fingers to play it. The more gentle, and spiritually-influenced Benediction De Deiu Dans La Solitude (God's Benediction In Loneliness) is even a reflection of the Liszt that would become a religious figure when he took the order of Abbe. This is one of the more superior recordings of this particular piece and Cladiu Arrau earned my respect and admiration upon hearing it.

A Great CD.......2005-03-18

This is what I compare all other Liszt Sonata recordings to. Arrau should hold a spot in every classical collector's library. The other tracks are well selected and well played. Sound quality is decent. Very enjoyable.

Stunning.......2004-02-26

Simply put, this is the finest recording of the b-minor sonata available, period. While I also have the recordings by Horowitz, Argerich, Richter, Pletnev, Yundi Li, Fleisher, Brendel, and others, none provide the synthesis of demonic technique and poetry achieved by Arrau. To cite but one example, the octave finale in the final movement is taken at a brisk tempo, but is almost as spiritual an experience as the Arietta from Beethoven's final piano sonata. This album is among the best Liszt recordings ever made and should be a part of any piano enthusiast's collection.

Exceptional Liszt Recordings from Arrau.......2003-04-26

For a long time Claudio Arrau has been among my favorite pianists; I've been impressed by his excellent blend of technical precision at the keyboard coupled with ample lyricism, and a keen willingness to play old, familiar works such as Beethoven's piano sonatas or Chopin's etudes and waltzes in startling, often breathtaking, unique interpretations. This splendidly remixed CD contains several of his finest recordings of Liszt's music, affirming his well-deserved recognition as among the finest interpreters of Liszt's music in the 20th Century. Here is Arrau at the height of his artistic powers, willing to transform a technically demanding work such as Liszt's Sonata in B minor into a thoughtful, elegant meditation on melody as well as keyboard pyrotechnics. The Benediction comes across as yet another elegant meditation, replete with subtle changes in phrasing and tempi. The others are elegantly played by Arrau too, showing a thoughtful, introspective side of his playing. Once more Philips has released one of its finest recording triumphs; I hope Arrau's other great recordings, such as his final Beethoven piano concerto cycle with Sir Colin Davis conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle (Only the 4th and 5th piano concerti have been released so far.), will be reissued as part of this series.

Average customer rating:

A true bargain for piano lovers

Young Brendel: The Vox Years

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Beethoven: Variations & Vignettes

ASIN: B000059RXI
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Pno Con in D, Hob.XVIII No.11: Allegro
Pno Con in D, Hob.XVIII No.11: Un Poco Adagio
Pno Con in D, Hob.XVIII No.11: Rondo All'Ungarese: Allegro Assai
Rondo in D, K.382: Allegretto Grazioso
Rondo in D, K.382: Adagio
Rondo in D, K.382: Allegro
Pno Con No.27 in B flat, K.595: Allegro
Pno Con No.27 in B flat, K.595: Andante
Pno Con No.27 in B flat, K.595: Allegretto

Tracks:

Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Les Adieux: Adagio-Allegro
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': L'Absence: Andante Espressivo
Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Le Retour: Vivacissamamente
Son No.17 in D, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': Largo-Allegro-Adagio
Son No.17 in D, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': Adagio
Son No.17 in D, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': Allegretto
Son No.30 in E, Op.109: Vivace Ma Non Troppo; Adagio Espressivo
Son No.30 in E, Op.109: Prestissimo
Son No.30 in E, Op.109: Tema Con Vars
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Allegretto in g
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Andante Con Moto in C
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Al'Allemande in D
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Andante Cantabile in A
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Risoluto in c
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Andante-Allegretto in G
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Allegro Ma Non Troppo in C
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Moderato Cantabile in C
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Vivace Moderato in a
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Allegramente in a
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119: Andante Ma Non Troppo in B flat
Vars 'Kind Willst Du Ruhigschlafen', WoO75

Tracks:

Fant in g, Op.77
15 Vars With Fugue On A Theme From Prometheus, Op.35 'Eroica'
Rondo in G, Op.51 No.2
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: Grave - Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: Andante Cantabile
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: Rondo - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Rondo in B flat, G.151

Tracks:

Fant in C, Op.15 (D.760) 'Wanderer'
Three Pieces, Op. Posth. (D.946): No.1 in e flat
Three Pieces, Op. Posth. (D.946): No.2 in E flat
Three Pieces, Op. Posth. (D.946): No.3 in C
Slavonic Dances, Op.46: No.1 in C: Furiant - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.46: No.2 in e: Dumka - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.46: No.6 in A flat: Polka - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.46: No.8 in g: Furiant - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.72: No.1 in B: Odzemek - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.72: No.2 in e: Dumka - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.72: No.4 in D flat: Dumka - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.72: No.6 in B flat: Polonaise - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien
Slavonic Dances, Op.72: No.7 in C: Srbske Kolo - Alfred Brendel/Walter Klien

Tracks:

Oberon
Il Trovatore
Tristan Und Isolde
Cantique D'Amour
Benediction De Dieu Dans La Solitude
Funerailles
Annes De Pelerinage Book II (Italie): Sonetto Del Petrarca 47
Annes De Pelerinage Book II (Italie): Sonetto Del Patrarca 104
Paganini Etude No.2
Paganini Etude No.3

Tracks:

Pno Con, Op.42
Pno Con in G, Op.55: Allegro Con Brio
Pno Con in G, Op.55: Moderato Ben Accentuato
Pno Con in G, Op.55: Toccata: Allegro Con Fuoco
Pno Con in G, Op.55: Larghetto
Pno Con in G, Op.55: Vivo
Petrouchka Ste: Russian Dance
Petrouchka Ste: In Petrouchka's Room
Petrouchka Ste: The Shrovetide Fair
Hungarian Rhap No.11
Mephisto Waltz No.1

Album Description

VOX is proud to present an irresistible 6 CD set taken from Alfred Brendel's remarkable 36 album discography with the company. Made during the early years of his unique career, these recordings rightly established him as one of the foremost pianists of the century. The repertoire covered the complete works of Beethoven, most of Schubert's solo pieces, several Mozart concerti, some of the cornerstones of Franz Liszt's output and many other works. This set is fascinating because his early interpretations are different from his current ones and they show a towering artistic maturity shining through a young man's buoyant fiery energy.

Customer Reviews:

A true bargain for piano lovers.......2001-06-22

Today Alfred Brendel is widely recognised as one of the greatest pianists of our day, but back in the 1950s and 1960s he was a secret known only to a select group of piano afficionados. In those days he made a series of recordings for the Vox label, which has kept them in print in various combinations ever since. This box set collects six hours' worth of the best. While he has a wider repertoire than most people acknowledge (from Bach to Schoenberg), Brendel's probably best-known for his recordings of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and they form the heart of this collection. Brendel has also been one of the few pianists (along with Andras Schiff) to actively champion Haydn's piano music, and the recordings included here should go a long way to convincing any listener just how good they are. In the last three decades Brendel has pretty much re-recorded all of the works here (some more than once), in better sound and with even finer playing; but if you're a music lover on a budget, or just want to hear some remarkable performances, this box is well worth picking up at a bargain price.

Average customer rating:

A Great all-around CD if you want a taste of Liszt
Wrong track information!

Panorama: Franz Liszt

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004XT29
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Symphonic Poem No.3: Les Preludes - Berliner Philharmoniker
Fantasia On Hungarian Folk Melodies - Shura Cherkassky
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 - Berliner Philharmoniker
Hungarian Rhapsody No.4 - Berliner Philharmoniker
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.1 In E Flat Major: 1. Allegro maestoso
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.1 In E Flat Major: 2. Quasi Adagio - Allegretto vivace - Allegro animato
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.1 In E Flat Major: 3. Allegro marziale animato - Presto

Tracks:

mephisto Waltz No.1 - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Lento assai - Allegro energico
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Grandioso
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Cantando espressivo
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Presante - Recitativo
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Andante sostenuto
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Quasi Adagio
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Allegro energico
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Piu mosso
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Cantando espressivo senza slentare
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Stretta quasi Presto - Presto - Prestissimo
Sonata For Piano In B Minor: Andante sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Lento assai
Feux follets - Sviatoslav Richter
Harmonies poetiques et religieuses, No.3: Harmonies du soir - Franz Liszt
Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude: Moderato - - Claudio Arrau
Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude: Andante - - Claudio Arrau
Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude: Piu sostenuto quasi preludio - Tempo I - Andante semplice - Claudio Arrau
Hungarian Rhapsody No.6

Customer Reviews:

A Great all-around CD if you want a taste of Liszt.......2002-07-30

Personally, I don't care if the labels are completely accurate, this is a GREAT CD! (Actually 2 CDs)

I was looking for a CD of Liszt's music (I had heard some of his music before, but did not own any of his CDs), and saw that Martha Argerich was one of the performers, so I decided to buy it. It was well worth my money. The first few tracks weren't to my liking that much because I mostly bought these CDs for the piano music. The Concerto is great, Argerich plays it beautifully.

I like the second CD even more. It starts off with the famous Mephisto Waltz, played by Ashkenazy. The piece is played with so much passion, and is so difficult and impressive that I never get bored listening to it.

The succeeding piano sonata in b minor has to be one of my all-time favorite piano pieces. It repeats a few themes over and over again, so it can be maddening at times, but it is so passionately played, and executed nearly perfectly (even though it is so difficult) by Argerich.

The two Etudes are also fun because they are so difficult, but I was disappointed by the sound quality. (the rest of the CD is excellent)

The last Hungarian Rhapsody played by Argerich is also a great piece, filled with many difficult sections.

In all, if you're looking for a great CD (or rather, 2 CDs) of Liszt's music, this is the one!

Wrong track information!.......2001-04-26

I purchased this 2 CD set and was astonished to find that track 3, claimed to be "Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2" is actually number 12, and track 4, claimed to be Hungarian Rhapsody no. 4 is actually number 2!

Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor / Deux Legendes (Two Legends) / Saint-Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots / Benediction de Dieu Dans la Solitude

Average customer rating:

Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor / Deux Legendes (Two Legends) / Saint-Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots / Benediction de Dieu Dans la Solitude

Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00008FN6V
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Ernst Levy Plays Beethoven, Liszt & Levy

Average customer rating:

An Artist of Transcendent Vision
Unique intepretation
A maverick with a titanic sound
The best Liszt sonata ever recorded
Not for polite listening

Ernst Levy Plays Beethoven, Liszt & Levy

Manufacturer: Marston
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006AHN
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 29 In B-flat, Op. 106, 'Hammerklavier': I. Allegro
Piano Sonata No. 29 In B-flat, Op. 106, 'Hammerklavier': II. Scherzo: Assai vivace
Piano Sonata No. 29 In B-flat, Op. 106, 'Hammerklavier': III. Adagio Sostenuto: Appassionato e con molto sentimento
Piano Sonata No. 29 In B-flat, Op. 106, 'Hammerklavier': IV. Largo: Allegro risoluto
Piano Sonata No. 32 In C Minor, Op. 111: I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato
Piano Sonata No. 32 In C Minor, Op. 111: II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile

Tracks:

Piano Sonata In B Minor: Lento assai - Allegro energico
Piano Sonata In B Minor: Andante sostenuto
Piano Sonata In B Minor: Allegro energico
Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude, Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses No. 3
Sposalizio, Annees de Pelerinage, Seconde Annee-Italie: No. 1
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 In C-sharp Minor
Pieces For Piano: No. 6
Pieces For Piano: No. 7
Pieces For Piano: No. 8
Pieces For Piano: No. 9
Pieces For Piano: No. 18

Amazon.com

The Swiss pianist and composer Ernst Lévy spent several decades teaching and giving rare concerts in the United States. His few LPs for the Kapp and Unicorn labels are highly sought-after collectors' items, and this set demonstrates why. In huge pianistic challenges like Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata and the Liszt Sonata, Lévy's conceptions, technique, and gigantic sound are almost overwhelming. Never mind a few messy passages; this is grand, memorable playing. The few small pieces by Lévy show him as a fine composer, too, although he was most successful in large forms. This set should go beyond the limited appeal of most mono piano reissues; it's one for the ages. -- Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

An Artist of Transcendent Vision.......2007-03-23

In college, I encountered two musical landmarks that took me longer to assimilate than any other music I had heard in my fairly extensive listening experience to date. One of these was Debussy's *La mer*. The other was Liszt's B-minor Sonata. Each presented a self-generating musical landscape in which familiar forms and processes had barely taken root, leaving me to wander through them many times before I felt I knew my way through the forest.

Over the years, I have collected more than a dozen performances of the Liszt Sonata: Andsnes, Argerich, Arrau, Cliburn, Curzon, Darré, Horowitz, Pollini, Rubinstein, et al. But I have no hesitation in declaring that Levy makes nearly all the competitors sound as if they don't really know what the piece is about. More relentlessly than anyone else, Levy puts you in touch with the fearsomely elemental *wildness* of Liszt's conception. You want demonic? Here it is, in (pitchforks and) spades. You want angelic? There's lyricism enough to melt a stone. I couldn't care less whether Levy is following Liszt's instructions to a T. He makes the piece make sense on his terms, and those terms are entirely coherent, intelligent, and convincing. In short, he plays the Sonata as if he'd written it himself. (Since Franz was addicted to rearranging damn-near everything within earshot, he's hardly going to roll over in his grave.) And thank goodness, the mono sound has the clarity and weight to bear the gravity of his conception.

Throughout this titanic Sonata, the sublime *Bénédiction*, the *Sposalizio*, and the 12th Hungarian Rhapsody, Levy emerges as a Liszt player of the highest imaginative fantasy -- a pianist with big ideas and the technical equipment to reveal them to our fortunate ears. (Just listen, for example, to the airy spontaneity with which he tosses off Liszt's decorative filigree.) He thunders, he caresses, he sighs, he confesses. The emotional gamut is every bit as huge as it should be.

No less impressive are the Beethoven sonatas. Op. 111 ranks among the sublimest traversals, crowned by one of the most intimately poignant valedictory codas anywhere. Op. 106 is marvelously conceived (with as poetic a slow movement as one could wish for). Alas, in the great fugue, dozens of unnerving, splice-induced pitch fluctuations spoil the grand effect. Admittedly, Beethoven's fugue strains the limits of tonality, but the engineering lapses here push intonation past incoherency. (This is the only recording in stereo and one of the few major works here *not* engineered by the excellent Peter Bartók, son of Béla.)

But don't let this one blemish deter you from reaching for one of the loftiest peaks in the annals of piano recording. Every piano-lover should hear this man. Yes, he is often strikingly different. But what can you learn from bland, cookie-cutter performers? Levy helps you rethink how these pieces are put together. His performances are intellectually rigorous and profoundly moving acts of spiritual blessing from an age when most artists still knew what spirit is. These discs preserve the precious insights of a great and fearless soul. Grab them if you can, and be grateful.

Unique intepretation.......2006-09-24

While I like all of the pieces on this 2 CD album, I would buy this for only the Liszt Sonata. I am a great fan of Jorge Bolet, one of the most well known interpreters of Liszt. Levy's interpretation of the Sonata sounds little like Bolet's (or anyone else's), yet there is still a romantic approach to have the music mean something beyond a technical tour de force. Levy puts a unique interpretation to this piece that is at once foreboding and tremendously engaging. I listen to this CD often, and I still find it thrilling in a way that few other recordings are.

Moreover, the Marston transfer of the Sonata is so good that one hears not only the music, but also Levy's fingers striking the keys! (A few other pieces are from much noisier source recordings, such as the Annes de Pelerinage). It seems as of this writing this first volume is out of print at the Marston website - although later volumes are still available. (And one can still buy Marston's collection of Bolet performances of Chopin which is an equally compelling 2 CD package with many rare performances.)

A maverick with a titanic sound.......2006-08-17

Listening to Ernst Levy, I'm reminded of Mahler's dictum, "Tradition is slovinliness." Throughout this set the pianist plays music very differently from "the way it's supposed to go." But who determines how it's supposed to go? Usually, past a point of reading a score and applying certain basic logic, popular consensus. In this age of Ashkenazy, Goode and Brendel, people like Levy sound like anachronisms from other times. And they may be. God bless them.

This CD features Levy in a terrifying reading of the Liszt sonata. And I mean terrifying. The piano sounds *threatening* for the first time in this work--like some primal beast--but also, in the softer parts, sweetly consoling. It's exactly the sort of almost bipolar interpretation I've always thought the B minor sonata needed. Other pianists (Argerich, Pogorelich) have wrung out the keyboard over the years with these notes, but even they sound like well-behaved Sunday school children compared to Levy. I imagine the piano was a heap of dust after he finished this performance. Dynamics are extreme: Bass lines thunder; pianissimos are carressed to the point that they are barely audible and are sensed more than heard. The tempo shifts every few seconds--probably more like the way Liszt played it, because they reportedly took big chance back then. Most importantly, there is a feeling of perpetual motion and constant morphing of the music like I've never heard before--BUT, he never gets lost in the structure. He knows where he is every moment, and so do we. There are admittedly some sloppy passages here and there, but this again just marks Levy as a throwback to an earlier era that wasn't as concerned with note-perfect playing. The Benediction that follows the B minor is beautifully played and equally memorable, if not as stunningly distinct an animal. A few of Levy's own small compositions are included as filler. They are pleasant, but he was a great pianist, not a great composer.

The Beethoven is a little more problematic, admittedly. Schnabel, who sought (unsucessfully) to perform the Hammerklavier at or near the indicated metronome markings, would not agree with Levy's interpretation, which would be called expansive if one is being charitable and a bit flaccid if one is not. I'm inclined to the latter. I have no trouble with a big, epic Hk--Arrau does not rush tempi and his is one of my favorite recordings--but here the tension sags, and the playing is sometimes soft and soggy, with a lack of accent. The strife, the fight to the summit, is missing, and thus is some of the uniqueness of this work, in my opinion. This recording needs more energy in its outer movements, though the scherzo is light and deft (and perhaps the most poetic I've heard) and the slow movement is gorgeously still and eternal, with all the spirituality that implies. The finale is the biggest eyebrow-raiser. Levy adopts a tempo and a rhythmic stance that suggests Bach instead of Beethoven. Whether it works or not will depend on your taste or mood that day, but one thing is clear: at a slower tempo colors and harmonics are highlighted that in other, fleeter recordings whiz by too fast to appreciate. This is not how I'd want to hear my Hammerklavier every day, but it's an interesting and worthy alternative when you already have about ten "straight-ahead" versions.

Even more striking and successful, to my ears, is his Op. 111. This is my favorite Beethoven piano sonata, and I think its Arietta is one of the greatest movements in piano literature. No interpretation can plumb the depths, but this one is pretty remarkable, with a quality of "stopped time" that comes closest to Schnabel's unsurpassed 1933 account on HMV. The slow variations are miraculous. They are the musical equivalent of staring into a perfectly clear and still pond, and I'm convinced this extremely simple, distilled quality is exactly what Beethoven was looking for. The movement builds to a big climax that makes it clear Levy considered Beethoven to be the first romantic. The coda walks on water--again, the pianissimo notes are more felt than heard.

The 2-disc set is well-done. The liner notes by Donald Manildi and Frank Cooper are extremely detailed and informative. They chronicle a major pianist who has slipped from our consciousness.

If you enjoy this set, get the subsequent two volumes as well. They may be out of print, but can be found used if you look a bit, and may also still be available from Marston directly. (He does direct mail.) These may not be the first versions of these works you want, but they do belong on your shelf.

The best Liszt sonata ever recorded.......2000-12-27

The performance of the Liszt sonata offered here is more convincing than any other I have ever heard. Ernst Levy reveals himself as nothing less than a genius. If you can imagine a cross between Horowitz and Furtwangler, you may get some idea of Levy's abilities. That this CD is not better known or better regarded in classical music publications is a damning indictment of their critical flaccidity.

Not for polite listening.......2000-06-11

This disk is the aesthetic equivalent of getting your ears syringed. Its principal works are the Hammerklavier and last Beethoven sonatas and the Liszt sonata. The Beethoven is certainly memorable, with a fast, fiery first movement in op. 106 and a superb finale. The op. 111 is a dramatic performance, with a charged first movement and one of the slowest Ariettas ever.

But the real highlight is the Liszt sonata. I can see some people hating it. If you like, say, Pollini or Brendel, you should probably stay away. It is like nothing you have heard. Levy is very liberal in his interpretation of the score -- many will not like this, but it sure works for me. Just two highlights will suffice, amongst many. First, the appearance of the d-flat theme is magnificent, because Levy tones down the left hand to pianissimo, so that the theme sounds timeless. Second, the fugue is ferocious in its energy and zest. This is the most provocative reading you are likely to hear, but for me it comes together wonderfully well.

The rest of the disk is also very fine -- a fine Benediction and a dark Sposalizio are the other highlights. The recordings are rough and ready but serviceable.

Essential for those who like to hear something different.

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