Complete Tone Poems 2

Liszt (Artist), Haitink (Artist), Lpo (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000417T
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,504 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Part Two of a great Liszt Tone Poem cycle from Haitink, December 7, 2002

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Tone Poems 2 (Audio CD)

Franz Liszt invented the symphonic tone poem genre and this splendid two CD compilation is the second half in a series of recordings of Liszt's scores from Bernard Haitink and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. These are warm, technically brilliant, but also passionate, performances replete with great performances from the strings, winds and horns when the London Philharmonic was London's best symphony orchestra. Haitink leads the LPO in excellent interpretations, with my favorites being the "Battle of the Huns" and Mephisto Waltz Number One. Philips' sound quality is superb due to state-of-the-art 24 bit digital image remastering. Here's hoping that the first volume in this series will be available to classical music fans soon.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "More 'respected' than loved"? Here's to respect!!, January 21, 2003

By 

C. McGovern "Piano Dude" (Beacon Falls, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Tone Poems 2 (Audio CD)

OK Mr. Hurwitz, if only because Liszt created the art-form of symphonic poems as they went on to existance we should just "respect" the tone poems, but Hunnenschlact--How could you not LOVE this piece?? This was most certainly the blueprint for Saint-Saens' absolutely killer Symphony #3 (which was written as a tribute to Liszt, actually) with its pairing of organ and symphony orchestra. With that and the other 12 poems, there's plenty of love and respect to go around!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rounding up from a 4.5, September 6, 2004

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Tone Poems 2 (Audio CD)

All recordings of Liszt's symphonic poems should be compared to the fabulous set by Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhash Orchestra. They are near perfection in their spontaneity and authenticity. These are good recordings - even great - although it would be hard not to perform such notables as Hungaria, the Mephisto Waltz and Hunnenschlacht.

As I stated in my review of the first set, these are difficult to understand completely because of the general literary and cultural illiteracy that plagues America, particularly the youth. All the poems have a literary inspiration - Hamlet, Orpheus, Faust, the "Hero" of German Literature. Listening to these without knowing the story or person behind it is like eating wonderful without knowing what it is.