Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The sound could be better, but Arnaldo Cohen's whirlwind technique and rapier temperament is tailor-made for the demanding transcriptions presented here. By contrast, the Brazilian pianist imbues the cryptic late Liszt works with tenderness and mystery. A disc no Liszt maven should pass up, especially at Naxos's bargain price. --Jed Distler

Tracks:

Amapola
Dark Eyes ("Ochi Chornye")
Contes d'Hoffman/Barcarole (Arr. As Song: Hold Me Tight)
Sobre Las Olas (Over the Waves) (Arr. As Song: Du, Nur du Allein)
I Don't Know Why
Parlami d'Amore, Mari
Valencia
Tiritomba
Mamma
Ave Maria (After Bach)
Toreador Song [From Carmen]
Piano Etude No. 3 in E Major, Op. 10/3 (Arr. As Song: I Am Trying ...)
Peurs de Perles/Duet (Arr. As Song: Take My Hand)
Aida/Tiomfmars (Arr. As Song: You'll Win)
Liebestre, S. 541/3 (Arr. As Song: In All My Dreams)
Nabucco/Slaves' Chorus (Arr. As Song: In My Heart)
Havah Nagilah

Customer Reviews:

I love Lotti.......2007-02-20

This is another beautiful music pleasure from Mr. Lotti.
He is a gifted singer and he only gets better.

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Liszt - Treasures of music

Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4
Franz Liszt , and Philip Thomson
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 3
Liszt: Sacred Music Transcriptions
Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1
Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante 1851 version
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, Vol.13

ASIN: B00000149K
Release Date: 1997-08-05

Tracks:

7. Funerailles
8. Miserere, D'Apres Palestrina
9. Andante Lagrimoso
10. Cantique D'Amour
Ave Maria In D Flat (Aus Dem Neun Kirchenchorgesangen) (S504/R193)
Ave Maria In G (S545/R194)
Ave Maria In E (Fur Die Grosse Klavierschule Von Lebert Und Stark) (S182/R67)
Ave Maria D'Arcadelt (S183b/R68b)
1. Andante Con Moto
2. Un Poco Piu Mosso
3. Lento Placido
4. Quasi Adagio
5. Andantino
6. Allegretto Sempre Cantabile
Ungarns Gott, 'A Magyarok Istene' (Left-hand Version) (S543b/R214b)

Customer Reviews:

Liszt - Treasures of music.......2006-06-30

In Naxos' Volume 4 of the Complete Piano Music of Liszt, Philip Thomson completes his recordings of the 'Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses.' The others are found on Volume 3. For those curious about the CD, it's a peculiar collection of pieces, and the 'Harmonies' are the main attraction.

Four other pieces on the disc are Liszt's various 'Ave Maria' works, all different and composed at different times in Liszt's life. They are mellow, gentle, and thus on a first hearing they may seem boring. They're actually worth hearing multiple times to really appreciate their quiet tones.

The six consolations are more epitomies of Liszt's soft and patient side. The third one is most famous and sits beside his Liebestraume's as romantic and tender pieces of love. They're all short, you might even call them miniatures. But in such a short timespan the music presents itself elegantly and never ceases to please the ear.

The highlight of this CD and the reason for buying it, in my opinion, are the Harmonies Poetiques. The first one 'Funerailles' is simply powerful. Philip Thomson calls it, "Dark, poignant, defiant, and tragic, just as the events were that inspired it. More powerful or heartfelt funeral music than this has not been penned." I whole-heartedly agree. Some think 'Funerailles' is the best of the entire Harmonies set, and they may be right.

The next of the set, 'Miserere d'apres Palestrina' recalls a somewhat Renaissance musical sound on the piano. Liszt takes a single melody through a journey of tremolandos, chords, arpeggios and it continuously arouses reflection and interest. Following this is the wondrous "Andante lagrimoso." There is something so sad, so mystical, so profound in the delicate piece which suggests tears. Again, I quote Philip Thomson on the work: "The only untitled piece of this set is known by its tempo marking, and is lagrimoso indeed: its initial sighs try their best to transform themselves into at least a semblance of resigned acceptance, but ultimately they cannot. The work ends with the understanding that some tragedies cannot be mitigated by any amount of hope."

The last of the set is typical of Liszt's romantic musical sensibilities: 'Cantique d'amour' is refreshing, lyrical, and sweet to the ears. One last time, I use Philip Thomson's astute observations to vouche for the piece: "The last piece of the set is immediately graspable and irresistible in all respects. Simple in form, and overtly and unashamedly romantic, it is the antithesis of the mood set by the 'Andante lagrimoso.' These last two pieces taken together represent the need for, and the ability of, music to show us what life is: utter hopelessness at war with the hope we must have if we are to live. Our human life may be painful and tragic, and our aspirations ludicrous and doomed, but it is not only possible but necessary that we live and hope earnestly and nobly. The 'Cantique d'amour' is the expression of the indomitable human spirit that has always defied the odds."

Bottom line: Philip Thomson understands how to play these works and is an incredibly proficient Liszt interpreter. I no longer listen to any other interpretations of these particular Harmonies because of his successful renditions. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the works, you would be missing out on Liszt's most beautiful and potent music if you didn't buy this CD.

Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Planned spontaneity
One of the finest Liszt recordings available
Somehow I missed this one when it first came out
A Portrait of the Virtuosity and Mind of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brahms: Variations and Fugue in B flat on a Theme of Handel; Schumann: Fantasia in C; Arabesque
Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4
Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 3
Liszt: Sacred Music Transcriptions
Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante 1851 version

ASIN: B0000014FJ
Release Date: 1997-06-10

Tracks:

Danse Macabre, Op. 40: Danse Macabre, S555 - R240
Nuages gris (Trube Wolken), S199 - R78
Unstern: sinistre, disastro, S208 - R80
Reminiscences des Huguenots, Grande fantaisie dramatique sur des themes de l' opera Les Huguenots de Meyerbeer (2nd and final version), S412 - R221
La lugubre gondola I, S200: 1 - R81: 1
La lugubre gondola II, S200: 2 - R81: 2
Impromptu ('Nocture'), S191 - R59
Totentanz, 'Danse Macabre', S525 - R188

Amazon.com

The sound could be better, but Arnaldo Cohen's whirlwind technique and rapier temperament is tailor-made for the demanding transcriptions presented here. By contrast, the Brazilian pianist imbues the cryptic late Liszt works with tenderness and mystery. A disc no Liszt maven should pass up, especially at Naxos's bargain price. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Planned spontaneity .......2007-03-24

People who shy away from ''classical'' - or ''serious'', as some would put it - music for its supposedly greater depth and sounder intellectual basis should make acquaintance with one of the funniest, wierdest and most imaginative composers of all time, the Hungarian virtuoso Franz Liszt. Totentanz is the closest thing to Iron Maiden and Andrew Lloyd Weber that we have in classical music. It always reminds me of "Fear of the Dark" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". It's so trivial, gratuitous, frenzied, shallow, pointless, ugly, flamboyant, showy and outright over-the-top that it borders on ridicule. One gets embarassed upon hearing it. Some of the music in this disc is so unashamedly bad and shallow that it becomes utterly funny and hugely entertaining. Arnaldo Cohen has succeeded more spectacularly than anyone before him in conveying the sheer excitement and the very well planned spontaneity of these pieces. His fiery playing and absolute command of dynamics and colour are breathtaking. He's undoubtedly one of the most intense and impressive pianists to have ever played this music (by the way, he's a great Schumann interpreter too). Other highlights of this recording are the irresistible and haunting ''Unstern: sinistre, disastro'' and the chilling ''Danse Macabre''. Nuage gris is an interesting attempt at atonality and the Impromptu is beautifully and masterly played. After all is said and done, it's a wonderful and exciting recording (provided you don't take some of these pieces too seriously). I've constantly found myself getting back to it lately. I dare to say it's a must-have.

One of the finest Liszt recordings available.......2006-06-29

Franz Liszt was one of the most influential composers of the nineteenth century, with a vast amount of music of high quality and musical value. Unfortunately, there is a trend in the recording world to focus on Liszt's supposed "famous" piano pieces like the Liebestraume No. 3, Un Sospiro, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and La Campanella. Leslie Howard's 59 Volumes of Liszt's music on the Hyperion label is certainly a remarkable exception. But it seems every professional pianist today has his own Liszt CD of music that has been recorded by twenty other pianists. Thankfully, this Naxos release, which constitutes the first Volume in an ever growing series of Liszt's piano music, traverses the "non-famous" and more profound piano works of Liszt.

Liszt's piano transcription of Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre" is an ingenious arrangement and one which Humphrey Searle believes is "a great improvement on the original work!" Indeed, it captures all of the orchestral effects, dancing skeletons, and vivid colors of this magnificent work. Moreover, Cohen's performance elicits a chilling and exciting atmosphere. One barely has to strain to imagine a troupe of dancing skeletons, conjured easily through the shrieking and rattling registers of the piano. Liszt's "Nuages Gris," an example of pre-Debussy impressionism, is a staple from Liszt's late period and Cohen plays it with ghostly delicacy. Liszt's "Unstern: sinistre, disastro" is startling for its modernism and evocation of an impending misfortune or evil. Cohen's expert handling of dynamics and the sheer power of his emotional involvement makes this a memorable account. A deeper exploration of Liszt's morbid and bleak imagination occurs in the two "La lugubre gondolas." Inspired by Wagner's death, they are visceral, disturbing, hauntingly beautiful, and truly unlike any other music emitted from the piano in the nineteenth century. Not even Chopin accomplishes what Liszt does in making the piano communicate terror, hopelessness and pessimism.

Liszt's "Reminiscences des Huguenots" displays an early but equally impressive stage of Liszt's evolving style. Leslie Howard has recorded this operatic fantasy many times due to the several versions Liszt wrote. Having heard all of Howard's renditions, however, I am stunned to find Cohen's interpretation totally indomitable. He brings this work to a level of brilliance and drama that Howard's execution lacks. Cohen allows the music to breathe and sing; his tempo and phrasing are acute; he refuses to rush through tender moments, but also has sense enough to intensify the bravura sections. So far Cohen has left me exceedingly contented, but he elevates himself even further with his colossal efforts in the piano transcription of "Totentanz." For those unfamiliar with such a work, it is an epic set of variations on the "Dies Irae" plainchant and one of Liszt's masterpieces, "inspired as far back as 1838, when Liszt saw Orcagna's frescoes 'The Triumph of Death' in the Campo Santo at Pisa." Liszt's transcription transforms the work for piano and orchestra into a tour-de-force solo piano composition. Every facet of the original version is absorbed and embraced. More significantly, Cohen commands orchestral sonority, conjures demonic cackles, and gracefully delivers dramatic expression.

Bottom line: I simply cannot resist the urge to call this recording a stunning achievement. These are the kinds of works Liszt should really be admired for. Arnaldo Cohen is virtually obscure in today's recording world, but after hearing his power, sensitivity and interpretative clairvoyance in these Liszt works, I am only baffled by his limited discography. For another inexpensive recording of his, I would direct the reader to this poetic triumph: Brahms: Variations and Fugue in B flat on a Theme of Handel; Schumann: Fantasia in C; Arabesque.

Somehow I missed this one when it first came out.......2003-06-28

I've only recently become familiar with the playing of Arnaldo Cohen, and I've gotten several of his recordings in the last month or so. I'm impressed by his red-blooded playing. He's not one of those cookie-cutter competition-winning note-spinners, but tends to put more of his own passion into the performance. Of course, that's important with repertoire on this Liszt disc. Just listen to the coruscating 'Danse macabre,' Liszt's arrangement of Saint-Saëns's symphonic poem. It will peel the paint off your listening-room wall.

He plays both versions of 'La lugubre gondola,' something we rarely get, and certainly not in recital. He manages to make them very different.

This is mostly late Liszt, the exception being the 'Huguenots' piece which, I have to admit, does go on a bit too long. That's Liszt's fault, not Cohen's. He does all that can be done with it.

I've always been struck by the unsettling 'Unstern' ('Dark Star', as some translate it, but I've come to think of it as Liszt's 'Black Hole' because it's so weird and modern-sounding) ever since I heard it as an encore played by Garrick Ohlsson years ago. It's one of those forward-looking, almost-atonal things that Liszt has, in latter years, gotten more and more attention for. Liszt subtitled it 'sinistre, disastro' and Cohen infuses those qualities into this strange little masterpiece; it is head and shoulders above Leslie Howard's pale performance from his complete Liszt traversal. The only other worthy competitor that I'm aware of is Pollini on DG.

Finally we have a chillingly effective performance of the solo piano version of 'Totentanz', Liszt's exhaustive workout on the Dies irae. I've always preferred it to the piano-and-orchestra version, which is more commonly heard and recorded.

This is volume one of Naxos' ongoing series of complete Liszt piano music; they are using a different pianist for each CD and they certainly picked a good one to start with.

Scott Morrison

A Portrait of the Virtuosity and Mind of Franz Liszt.......2000-04-25

This is a brilliant and wonderfully priced CD! If you enjoy the works of Liszt, then get this CD. The selected works here detail, in my opinion, the darker, more emotional pieces written/transcribed by Liszt. This includes Nuages gris and the 2 Lugubre gondola pieces, all considered to be "experiments" in mood and tonality. In Nuages gris, Liszt pours out some of his darker emotions, possibly related to the turmoils of his life with women, composition (and its critics, to which there were many), and old age (since this was one of his last works). Many dislike these darker works, but there are a few, such as myself, who find an inherant beauty to them. Of course, the album is also full of Liszt's virtuoso piano writing, which Mr. Cohen pulls off in fine fashion. Totentanz features some amazingly fast runs, while also filling in for the rest of the orchestra (this is an orchestral work of Liszt's which he condensed for piano). This album pays homage to the often misunderstood genius of Franz Liszt, and is a worthy addition to any collection. (Oh, and the price doesn't hurt either :)

Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 17, Schubert Song Transcriptions 2

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Best Piano Music on the Planet

Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 17, Schubert Song Transcriptions 2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 3
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Liszt: Sacred Music Transcriptions

ASIN: B00004VM1O
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Tracks:

Muller-Lieder: Das Wandern
Muller-Lieder (2nd version): Der Muller und der Bach
Muller-Lieder (2nd version): Der Jager
Muller-Lieder (2nd version): Die bose Farbe
Muller-Lieder (2nd version): Wohn?
Muller-Lieder (2nd version): Ungeduld
Die Forelle (2nd version)
Die Rose
Meeresstille from 12 Lieder
Der Gondelfahrer
Liebesbotschaft from Scwanengesgang
Ave Maria from 12 Lieder
Ungeduld (1st version) from 6 Melodien
Giestliche Lieder: Litaney
Giestliche Lieder: Himmelsfunken
Giestliche Lieder: Die Gestirne
Giestliche Lieder: Hymne
Lob der Thranen
Erlkonig from 12 Lieder

Customer Reviews:

Best Piano Music on the Planet.......2007-03-16

If you like solo classical piano music, you must have this CD. The "marriage" of Scubert and Liszt is nothing less than transcendental. A well-engineered recording of great performances.

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Which Hofmann?
Josef Hofmann: Wonderful performances, lots of surface noise

The Complete Josef Hofmann, Vol. 3

Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Josef Hofmann, Vol. 4
The Complete Josef Hofmann, Vol. 2
The Chopin Concertos

ASIN: B000003LJ8
Release Date: 1994-09-01

Tracks:

Valse In A Flat, Op. 34, No. 1
Valse C Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2
Valse In E Minor, Op. Post
Polonaise In A Minor, Op. 40, No. 1
Impromptu No. 1, A Flat, Op. 29
Fantasie-Impromptu, C Sharp Minor, Op. 66
Berceuse In D Flat, Op. 57
Chant Polonaise, 'The Maiden's Wish'
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
Conccert Etude No. 1, 'Waldesrauschen'
Venezia E Napoli - 'Tarantella' (Abridged)
Marche Militaire
Der Erlkonig
Gavotte
'Moonlight Sonata In C Sharp, Op. 27 No. 2 First Movement
Fantasiestucke, Op. 12, No. 3 'Warum?'
Papillon, Op. 43, No. 1
Spinning Song, Op. 67, No. 14
Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 (Abridged)
Spring Song, Op. 62, No. 6
Hunting Song, Op. 19, No. 3
La Jongleuse

Tracks:

Caprice Espagnole, Op. 37 (Abridged)
Minuet In G
Valse-Caprice
Miniatures, Book. 9 No. 7, 'El Dachtarawan'
The Sanctuary
Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Prelude In G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5
Valse Gracile
Birds At Dawn, Op. 20, No. 2
Third Etude In C Minor, Op. 120
Polonaise In A Major, Op. 40, No. 1
Hunting Song, Op. 19, No. 3
Spring Song, Op. 62, No. 6
Marche Militaire
Der Erlkonig
Nocturne In E Flat, Op. 9, No. 1
Valse In E Minor, Op. Post.
Papillon, Op. 43, No. 1
Spinning Song, Op. 67, No. 4
Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2

Amazon.com

Volume 3 gathers Hofmann's complete acoustic Columbia 78s, including seven previously unissued sides. While Hofmann allowed a lot of leeway in live performance, he took recording seriously, both from an artistic and technical standpoint. The myriad subtleties of touch, pedaling, and articulation in Hofmann's playing come through loud and clear in these vintage 1912-1918 recordings. Each selection reveals the pianist's singing tone, extremely even fingerwork, aristocratic poise, and taste. There's a sense of purpose and proportion to the playing that belies the notion that all Romantic pianists took insane liberties. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Which Hofmann?.......2004-09-06

Hofmann - particularly late Hofmann - may be an acquired taste.
Despite having been the protégé of Anton Rubinstein, "the wonderful boy" was recognized from quite an early age as the exemplar of a modern style of playing - textually faithful, eschewing swooning or bombast. (See, for example, the references to Hofmann in Henry Lahee's wonderful survey from 1900, Famous Pianists of Today and Yesterday.)
Still, a number of younger colleagues expressed ambivalence. Horowitz was floored by Hofmann's keyboard command - everyone was - but he, Artur Rubinstein and Arrau, to name just three - seem not to have been terribly moved by Hofmann's musicianship.
But which Hofmann are we considering? His playing for the gramophone - as early as 1903 and as late as 1935 - was as disciplined as it was imaginative and dazzling. The late Harold Schonberg called it "perfection plus."
However, as Gregor Benko makes clear in his essays for the Marston reissues, Hofmann switched on what the pianist called a "spectacular" style for many public performances. This may sound cynical. Often it sounds terribly cynical. Hofmann was not speaking merely of the need to project in a large concert hall. In public performance - at least those performances we have from the late `30s and early `40s - the aristocrat often becomes a mountebank, lurching from the softest pianissimos to explosive fortissimos, rattling off passages or entire pieces even faster than Simon Barere boasted he could do.
Schonberg - and Hofmann's friend and admirer Rachmaninoff - reminded us that during this period Hofmann had many personal troubles, including a severe drinking problem. We must believe that at his greatest Hofmann played as scrupulously and with as much refined feeling in public as he did on many of his studio recordings, though his manner may have differed somewhat. And there are some marvelous live performances. The Rubinstein 4th from his Golden Jubilee concert beggars description.
So where does that leave us? As an introduction to Hofmann, I would recommend the early Columbia recordings, those he made somewhat later for Brunswick, and the American and British test pressings from 1935 - perhaps his greatest recorded playing. These are Volumes 3, 4 and 5 of the complete Hofmann series. Serious listeners will also want the ups and downs of the Golden Jubilee (Volume 2). The Chopin concertos in Volume 1 have some splendid moments, but the superlative (not spectacular; superlative) performance there is a fragment of the first movement of the E minor concerto performed in London -- far more poised and committed than its counterpart from New York. (I wonder if Hofmann played differently in America than he did in Europe? Some musicians - for instance, Mahler, Toscanini, Bernstein - for varying reasons apparently did.)
Having said all this, the entire Hofmann series is priceless. Heartfelt thanks to Gregor Benko and Ward Marston for making it available in superb transfers with fascinating notes.

Josef Hofmann: Wonderful performances, lots of surface noise.......2000-03-15

For Hofmann lovers and devoted students of piano performance, this collection is priceless! For others, the surface noise will be a serious drawback. My assumption is that anyone interested in Hofmann will start by getting Volumes 1 & 2 -- the Chopin Concertos and the 1937 Golden Jubilee Recital. Beyond that, in choosing among Volumes 3 through 6, Volume 3 offers a wide range of Hofmann's repertoire in shorter pieces -- 42 tracks on two CD's. These are Josef Hofmann in his prime and the performances are marvelous. Unfortunately, they were recorded in 1912-18 (with six tracks from way back in 1903!) and the surface noise is pretty severe. Listening to them is an effort, but the effort is well worth while!

Vladimir Horowitz, Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Vol. I: The Studio Recordings 1962-63

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Horowitz at his Musical and Technical Prime
Delightful First Volume

Vladimir Horowitz, Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Vol. I: The Studio Recordings 1962-63

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vladimir Horowitz, Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Vol. VI: Horowitz Performs Beethoven

ASIN: B00000290A
Release Date: 1994-07-19

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: Grave-Doppio movimento
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: Scherzo
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: Marche funebre. Lento
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 35: Finale. Presto
Etude - Tableau In E Flat Minor, Op. 39 No. 5: Allegro
Etude - Tableau In E Flat Minor, Op. 39 No. 5: Appassionato
Arabeske In C Major, Op. 18: Leicht und zart
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Von fremden landern und Menschen
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Kuriose Geschichte
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Hansche-Mann
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Bittendes Kind
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Gluckes genug
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Wichtige Begbenheit
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Traumerei
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Am Kamin
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Ritter vom Steckenpferd
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Fast zu ernst
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Furchtenmachen
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Kind im Einschlummern
Kinderszenen, Op.15 - Scenes From Childhood: Der Dichter spricht
Toccata In C Major, op. 7: Allegro
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 In D Minor: Lento patetico (Lassan) - Vivace (Friska)

Tracks:

Sonata In E Major, K 531 (L430): Allegro
Sonata In A Major, K322 (L483): Allegro
Sonata In G Major K455 (L209): Allegro
Piano Sonata No 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': Adagio cantabile
Piano Sonata No 8 In C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique': Rondo. Allegro
Impromptu In G Flat Major, Op. 90 (D 899) No. 3: Andante
Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12: Allegro con fuoco
Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 7: Lento
Scherzo No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 20: Presto con fuoco
3 Preludes: IV Les fees sont d'exquises danseuses. Rapide et leger
3 Preludes: V Bruyeres. Calme
3 Preludes: VI General Lavine - eccentric. Dans le style et le mouvement d'un Cake-Walk
Poeme In F Sharp Major, Op. 32 No. 1: Andante cantabile
Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 2 No. 1: Andante
Etude In D Sharp Minor, Op. 8 No. 12: Patetico

Amazon.com essential recording

This collection features wide-ranging repertory, including Russian Romantics like Rachmaninoff and Scriabin that were Horowitz's concert staples, all stunningly played. The Chopin "Funeral March" Sonata is taken at a flowing pace, with a crisp, touching march. Schumann's Kinderszenen is fetchingly done with disarming simplicity and heartfelt poetry. He "improves" Liszt's 19th Hungarian Rhapsody with doubling and rewriting, but it's no less exciting for all that. A stylish Beethoven "Pathetique" Sonata is treasurable for singing tone reined into a classical framework. A good overview of Horowitz's style and repertory with many delights. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Horowitz at his Musical and Technical Prime.......2003-01-06

Volume One of Sony's reissue of Vladimir Horowitz's Complete Columbia Masterworks Recordings contains studio recordings from 1962-63. His first three LPs for Columbia (Columbia Presents Vladimir Horowitz, The Sound of Horowitz, and In His First Recordings of...) were conceived as mini-recitals and have been carefully resequenced to fill two CDs.

By 1962, Horowitz had not performed in public for nine years. Frustrated with the repertoire restrictions, poor sound and lack of marketing he was receiving from RCA, he abandoned Little Nipper and signed on with Columbia Masterworks, headed by the legendary Goddard Lieberson. Thomas Frost was assigned as Horowitz's producer, and the two clicked immediately. The fine results they obtained can be heard here.

For decades Horowitz had a problematic relationship with Chopin's Second Sonata. A 1936 attempt to record the piece was aborted due to the pianist's first nervous breakdown (the first movement survives). Horowitz's 1950 recording for RCA is a bizarre collection of details, with a Funeral March that sounds like a Russian boat song on steroids. This 1962 recording is highly successful, however. Horowitz is obviously on top of the piece, technically, with his spare pedaling highlighting Chopin's use of counterpoint. The Funeral March is, for once, played with a crisp rhythm, the central section exquisitely balanced. He performed this work several times in the 1970s, but not as convincingly. The other Chopin works fare as well, including a passionate "Revolutionary" Etude and a tightly controlled B-minor Scherzo with a characteristically Horowitzian touch: Interlocking octaves replace Chopin's chromatic scales in the coda.

Schumann was Horowitz's favorite German composer. Here we have a swift Arabeske, painted in delicate watercolors, and a reflective Kinderscenen, featuring some remarkable voicing. Less successful is the Toccata, which is pianistically unstable and was spliced together virtually bar-by-bar (this remastering smoothes out the edits much better than previous issues).

Horowitz was less fond of Beethoven. He admired the Master's musical ideas and architecture, but was frustrated by Beethoven's piano writing, and many of Horowitz's Beethoven recordings are not convincing--although none could be classified as "bad." This version of the Pathétique (the only Sonata named by Beethoven himself) is one of the best ones, with a perfectly paced opening movement, a beautifully weighted Andante, and an unrushed Finale. Likewise with the lovingly voiced Schubert Impromptu, which is a great improvement over his 1953 recording which was performed in the wrong key!

Horowitz seldom played Debussy and recorded no Ravel. One wonders why, listening to the three Preludes from Book II included here. Horowitz's ability to control the lower levels of dynamics, playing soft-softer-softest, and his deft tone painting suit this music perfectly.

Of course, no Horowitz recital would be complete without Scarlatti, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. The three Scarlatti Sonatas document Horowitz's increasing concern with authenticity, coupled with his ability to play with infinite grades of detachment and color. The Rachmaninoff and Scriabin illustrate Horowitz's huge dynamic range and unique understanding of Russian rhetoric.

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 is a rather monotonous piece in the original version, but Horowitz's arrangement of it here unquestionably improves the piece. Not only is the work more spectacular with Horowitz's additions, but the pianist's editing maked the structure more coherent. This was originally the last piece on the first LP he made for Columbia, and it's obvious his intent was to show that although he had mellowed and matured, he could still play "like Horowitz" when he chose. He proved his point.

These recordings were produced at Columbia's legendary 30th Street Studio (actually a converted church) and the "360-degree" sound was widely praised in its day. The remastering has opened up the dynamics, and brought forth a fuller, more natural sound, reducing noise without overly capping the high frequencies.

Delightful First Volume.......2000-11-12

"The Studio Recordings 1962-1963" is the first of Vladimir Horowitz's incredible nine CD volumes of the Complete Masterworks Recordings, which are available individually or as a boxed set. Volume One features solo piano works by an amazing array of composers -- Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Scarlatti, Scriabin, Schubert and Schumann. Several of these pieces I was not familiar with prior to purchasing this disc, especially Schumann's "Kinderszenen" and Horowitz's own transcription for Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19, and they are wonderful additions to my collection. Some of the other pieces I do have other versions of, and it is delightful to hear the subtle differences in Horowitz's style and interpretation. I always thought Rubinstein was the best at playing Chopin, but Horowitz really gives him a run for his money. The Etudes and the Scherzo are played like they are Horowitz's old friends, and the "Funeral March" flows beautifully between the somber and revelatory passages. I might even have to give Horowitz's rendition the nod over Van Cliburn's version (see my review of that title). Horowitz handles Debussy's three Preludes (from Book II) with all the majesty of Walter Gieseking's classic recordings. And Horowitz's reading of Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata is equal, if not superior, to the version by Daniel Barenboim that is coupled with Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony. Finally, Horowitz captures three Scarlatti sonatas (not featured on Volume 2) in the brilliant manner that only he could. This two-disc set is an essential purchase for the new and veteran classical music fan alike.

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Liszt - Angel and Grim Reaper
Almost makes "Benediction" seem short
Great performance by a multitalented pianist

Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 3
Franz Liszt , and Philip Thomson
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4
Liszt: Sacred Music Transcriptions
Franz Liszt: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, Vol.13
Franz Liszt: Études d'exécution transcendante 1851 version

ASIN: B00000143U
Release Date: 1997-08-05

Tracks:

Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 1: Invocation
Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 2: Ave Maria
Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 3: Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude
Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 4: Pensee des morts
Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 5: Pater noster
Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses (S173 - R 14): 6: Hymne de l'enfant a son reveil
Les Morts (S516 - R183)
Resignazione (S516 - R183)
Ungarns Gott, 'A magyarok istene' (2-Hand Version) (S543a - R214a)

Customer Reviews:

Liszt - Angel and Grim Reaper.......2006-06-29

Naxos brings to light an unfamiliar pianist Philip Thomson who plays the Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses better than most others. As a whole, the CD contains some obscure, strange, and godly manifestations of reverie, ecstasy, death, pain, and religion all in one.

The 'Invocation' and 'Ave Maria' are chorale-sounding and Thomson plays them with sensitivity and sharpness. The Benediction is a great interpretation with all the passionate flare expected from that piece. I find nothing wrong with it and much good to be said about it.

The highlight and most profound work encountered on this CD is undoubtedly the "Pensee des morts." How did Liszt come up with this? I love what Philip Thomson says about it: "If the Benediction causes us temporarily to surrender our rationality to its ecstasy, the Pensee des Morts is an ascent into sheer madness." He is right... this is music set to the mind chaotically falling apart in a swarm of emotions. It's hard to think of chaos in music without imagining the 20th century atonal stuff which is literally musical chaos. That's not what this is. In a beautiful key, there are stacatto chords and descending run downs that musically depict one losing their mind. The subsequent wailing marked "Lamentoso" on the sheet music is so heart-wrenching, moving, and worth closing your eyes in reverence to. It's a brooding, gloomy, agonizing, and most serenely dramatic piece. I've heard Brendel tackle this and fail to infuse the same mysticism, woe, and pain that Thomson achieves.

The next two, 'Pater Noster' and 'Hymne de l'enfant a son reveil' are exceptionally beautiful and lyrical. Definitely give them a chance with repeated listenings.

The next highlight on this CD right after the Benediction and the Pensee, is the first funeral ode simply titled, "Les Morts." Inspired by Liszt's son Daniel's death, it floats in melancholy but then soars to such a triumphant declaration of notes that recall us to the passion of the Benediction. It's a composition that musically displays transcendence and somehow expresses what Liszt could not say in words about the death of his son. Instead of dwelling entirely on death and the misery of losing a loved one, his religious perspective honors and glorifies the death of a loved one.

The last two pieces, 'Resignazione' and 'Ungarns Gott' are entirely different from each other. The first is typical of late Liszt, very gentle and introspective. The second is a catchy romp with Hungarian influence to the music; a fine encore piece.

Bottom line: With all the focus on Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies and etudes, so many are missing out on Liszt's most beautiful music: The Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses. Buy this CD and savor Liszt's haunting melodies that have the power to inspire many reflections. And at the Naxos budget price, any one who enjoys Romantic piano music should buy this.

Almost makes "Benediction" seem short.......2002-12-28

This pianist whips up real excitement in "Benediction." I find myself conducting and playing "air piano" at the climactic moments. Thomson often makes alterations to the written score. Sometimes Liszt's dynamic markings are ignored; at other times, melodic lines are reinforced with octave doublings. These changes are pretty clearly motivated by nothing more than a desire to communicate the emotion of the piece as vividly and powerfully as possible, and as such would likely meet with approval from Liszt. His disdain was reserved for those who played without feeling, and that's certainly not the case here.

"Benediction," like quite a few of Liszt's works, has a reputation for seeming too long. It's a credit to Thomson that he almost leaves you wanting more, after sixteen minutes.

Great performance by a multitalented pianist.......1999-11-11

I personally like this performance of Harmonies Poétiques et Réligieuses by Thomson more than any sets by other performers. These Pensée des morts and Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude are the best available in the market. God bless you!

Backhaus: The Complete British Acoustic Recordings, 1908-25

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Backhaus: The Complete British Acoustic Recordings, 1908-25

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Pablo Casals: Festivals at Prades Vol. 1

ASIN: B0000542HD
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
'Harmonious Blacksmith' Vars
Prelude No. 1 In C, Op. 28, No. 1
Etude No. 1 In C, Op. 10, No. 1
Norwegian Bridal Procession, Op. 19, No. 2
Finale: Perpetuum Mobile
Fantasy-Impromptu In C Sharp Minor, Op. 66
La Cam-panella
Etude No. 20 In D Flat, Op. 25, No. 8
Etude No. 21 In G Flat, Op. 25, No. 9
Etude No. 5 In G Flat, Op. 10, No. 5
Prelude
Fugue
Etude No. 18 In G Sharp Minor, Op. 25, No. 6
Etude No. 13 In A Flat, Op. 25, No. 1
Etude In E Flat Minor, Op. 10, No. 12
First Movement (Abridged)
Third Movenment (Abridged)
Novelette No. 7 In E, Op. 21, No. 7
Waltz No. 11 In G Flat, Op. 70, No. 1
Waltz No. 14 In E Minor, Op. Posth.
Waltz No. 5 In A Flat, Op. 42
Polka In F
Sonata In F, L. 188 (Kk. 525)
Sonata In G, L. 490 (Kk. 523)
Etude No. 7 In C, Op. 10, No. 7
Waltz No. 6 In D Flat, Op. 64, No. 1
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 94, No. 3
Hark! Hark! The Lark!

Tracks:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Abridged)
Polka In F
Naila Waltz
Polonaise No. 6 In A Flat, Op. 53 (Abridged)
Caprice Espagnol, Op. 37
Don Juan Seranade
Widmung
Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat
Waltz No. 5 In A Flat, Op. 42
Variations On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 35, Book I
Variations On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 35, Book II
Berceuse In D Flat, Op. 57
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 94, No. 3
Traumeswirren, Op. 12, No. 7
Scherzo
Triana, No. 6
Don Juan Serenade

Amazon.com

Backhaus was among the giants of 20th-century keyboard artists, renowned for his solid--some would say stolid--Beethoven and Brahms interpretations. The younger Backhaus was a more overtly virtuosic pianist with a wide repertory. This invaluable Pearl set covers his British recordings, starting in 1908 when he was only 24, and it includes composers and works he abandoned in later years when he pared his programs down to essential masterworks. So we get his only recordings of Rachmaninoff, whom he admired as the greatest among living piano composers, along with Bach, Scarlatti, and others. Backhaus's dazzling virtuosity can be heard in his abridged Brahms Paganini Variations, the Liszt, La Campanella, with its marvelously even runs, and the Weber, Perpetuum Mobile, with precise articulation at fast speeds, among many other examples. Some of his early electrical recordings fill out disc two, sounding fresher than most of the acoustics. Seth Winner's transfers on both well-filled discs are uniformly fine. Collectors of historical recordings will want these rarities. --Dan Davis

Average customer rating:

Rather soporific (but much better when played on high-end equipment)

Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 4

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

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Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 2
Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 3
Romantic Piano Favourites Vol.1

ASIN: B0000013KV
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Rustle Of Spring
Edelweiss
The Maiden's Prayer
The Flatterer
Piano Sonata K. 332: Adagio
Serenata Op. 15
Wilhelm Meister: None But The Lonely Heart
Vocalise
Waltz In C Sharp Minor
Greensleeves
Mdie In G Flat
Clair de Lune
On Wings Of Song
Slavonic Dance, No. 2 In E Minor

Customer Reviews:

Rather soporific (but much better when played on high-end equipment).......2004-10-22

I'm afraid I have always found this CD to be rather soporific, although that is a purely subjective reaction. The main reason for this, I assume, is the programme, which is not specifically romantic and combines such diverse composers as Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Mendelssohn with a somewhat sentimental arrangement of 'Greensleeves' and some excruciatingly twee pieces by second and third rate piano bards with exotic names like Badarzewska-Baranowska, Chaminade and Lange. Hungarian pianist Péter Nagy masters all the works in this compilation in the sense that he plays them efficiently, but nowhere does one get the feeling that a piece really has a message or any kind of emotional depth. Moreover, Nagy occasional overdoes the force of his left hand, making for rather one-dimensional listening, all the pieces sounding in the end like Péter Nagy rather than like the composers who dreamed them up. In particular, I found the Rachmaninov 'Vocalise', the longest piece on the CD, did nothing for me at all. The quality of the recording is of a fair standard for 1987.

Note added on 26 November 2005: I have just had the opportunity of listening to this disc on some first-class "high end" equipment and I must admit that, like many other Naxos discs, this one sounded a whole lot better at this level of reproduction, with Péter Nagy's playing profiting no end from the clarity and clean-cut purity of sound produced from the piano (in this case by a 24bit D/A converter). The improved sound made the music much more interesting, decidedly less soporific than it had ever seemed before. So am I to praise Nagy and Naxos - or the manufacturers of excellent hifi equipment?

Liszt: The Complete Hungarian Rhapsodies, Vol. 1

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Colossal treasure!

Liszt: The Complete Hungarian Rhapsodies, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009IVL
Release Date: 1992-01-28

Tracks:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 in E Major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3 in B flat Major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E flat Major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D flat Major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7 in D minor
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 8 in F sharp minor

Customer Reviews:

Colossal treasure!.......2005-05-12

The unforgettable Edith Farnadi was undoubtedly the major female Hungarian pianist in the first half of the XX Century. She won more than deservedly twice the Liszt Competition in the thirties.
His playing brings us the efussiveness and the true essence of the Hungarian sketches without affections but a real sense of this special commitment you will find it in the first bars.
I have not heard until now any superior version of Liszt's Sonata in B minor, after having listened her. Go for this album and you will be surprised.

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