Liszt: Complete Tone Poems Volume One

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The noted music critic, conductor, and author Donald Francis Tovey described Liszt's Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne (What You Hear on the Mountaintop) as a series of "introductions to introductions," and truth to tell, it does go on. But then again, all of Liszt's symphonic poems are experiments of one sort or another. He invented the form, and although he may not have gotten every one of them absolutely right (meaning there are dull spots here and there), there are more than enough interesting moments to keep your ears occupied. Just make sure that you take them one at a time, and don't use them as background music. What Liszt does with the tunes is more important than the tunes themselves, so you must pay close attention. --David Hurwitz

Liszt: Complete Tone Poems Volume One, Music, Franz Liszt, Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Classical, Classical Music, Orchestral, Romantic Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem for Orchestra

Average customer rating:

A great deal on some good music!

Excellent but pales in comparison with Mazur

Good, but...

See for yourself

Liszt: Complete Tone Poems Volume One

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Franz Liszt: Complete Tone Poems, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00000417S
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Ce Qu'on Entend Sur La Montagne
Tasso, Lamento E Trionfo
Les Preludes

Tracks:

Orpheus
Prometheus
Mazeppa
Festklange

Amazon.com

The noted music critic, conductor, and author Donald Francis Tovey described Liszt's Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne (What You Hear on the Mountaintop) as a series of "introductions to introductions," and truth to tell, it does go on. But then again, all of Liszt's symphonic poems are experiments of one sort or another. He invented the form, and although he may not have gotten every one of them absolutely right (meaning there are dull spots here and there), there are more than enough interesting moments to keep your ears occupied. Just make sure that you take them one at a time, and don't use them as background music. What Liszt does with the tunes is more important than the tunes themselves, so you must pay close attention. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A great deal on some good music!.......2007-05-18

This is a very nice Liszt set, with performances by the reliably fine London Symphony Orchestra. I ordered the disc set from Chimera Books and Music on 5/7/07 and received it 5/10/07. Fast, accurate service, a good product and a remarkably low price ... what more could one ask?

Excellent but pales in comparison with Mazur.......2004-09-07

I enjoyed these poems but the "authenticity" was lacking in my opinion. Liszt is one of those composers beloved by the public but scorned bt the "experts" - another case of being so smart you don't know anything. The Symphonic Poems are one of those ultra-Romantic creations that seemed to spring fully-grown from the pen. Each one is related to a story or mood, although with the level of knowledge from today's education few would recognize let alone understand the connection.

How many people could even tell you who Prometheus or Goethe or Schiller was much less how the piece related to them? Les Prelude was good (not great) as was Orpheus. Mazeppa, the most dramatic of the set, came off sultry rather than scintillating.

Then again, I am comparing everything to the incredible recording by Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Those two sets are the apex of Liszt recordings (MHS only).

Good, but..........2002-03-04

While the recordings on this CD are nothing to complain about, the quality on several of the songs is slightly staticky, and sounds mildly muffled (not as much ambience and echoing as needed to make these songs have full effect, especially on Mazeppa). Unless you really want the Symphonic Poem No. 1, you'd do better to stick with other recordings. The first of the poems is very hard to find and this is the reason I bought this CD. Unfortunately, it falls under the staticky song category.

See for yourself.......2000-01-06

Liszt is one of the most underestimated composers of all time, but I'm sure that anyone who listens carefully to recordings like this can change his mind. The only problem I see in understanding this pieces is that their richness (in all senses) make it necessary to listen to them again in order to understand them more deeply. Yet I can say that the exact same thing is true with Beethoven, Bach, Mahler, and all the other hyper-estimated composers. Looking closer, the problem must be that this pieces are almost never played, so it's difficult to know them before you buy a record like this. I say, don't let yourself go with the general prejudice against the Lisztian inovations : the two recordings by Haitink and the other two by Kurt Masur with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester are a necessity to every curious listener. Each poem is a masterpiece, and you'll hear the orchestra sound like you have never imagined.

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