Customer Reviews

The Demonic Liszt

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When this recording first hit the shelves in its original Vanguard LP incarnation, the acclaim in the review periodicals was virtually unanimous. The only disclaimer presented by these reviewers (the only meaningful one, at least) was that the sound of the piano was somewhat "brittle". Not every reviewer saw it fit to voice the same reservations, however, and my guess is that only those who routinely shunned recordings that did not capture the "richest and deepest" of tones felt it necessary to comment on this aspect of the recording.

If there is one notion I hope to convey with this review, it is that the striking virtuosity and peerless musicianship demonstrated by Earl Wild on this disc outweigh any concerns stemming from subjective evaluations of the piano's sound. It is worth noting, perhaps, that even those reviewers who mentioned the sound of Wild's piano praised the playing preserved on this recording. The praise was well-deserved: Wild's playing is beyond exciting, and is positively guaranteed to have a hair-raising effect on any listener.

The entire disc is stunning, and selecting only a handful of highlights is a difficult task. At the same time, special mention deserves to be made of Wild's "Mephisto Waltz", which is far and away the best on record. Some will be shocked and surprised by Wild's own flourish tacked onto the end of the piece; Liszt himself, though, often interjected similar passages in public performances of his own works (and works of other composers!) and no doubt would have approved of the gesture. Also worthy of being singled out are the "Reminiscences de Don Juan", Liszt's rousing pianistic tribute to Mozart's "Don Giovanni". Wild's interpretation is practically definitive, and the playing alternates from light-spirited, inspiring, and angelic (e.g., in the "La Ci Darem La Mano" variations) to down-right demonic (one finds that it becomes strangely impossible to avoid using that adjective in reference to this disc). But the best performance on this disc may be the most brief of them all (and, hence, the one that may be most easily overlooked): that is, Liszt's incredible "Gnomenreigen", one of his two Concert Etudes for Piano, S. 145. Give Wild two and some-odd minutes, and he will convince you that at his peak he, along with Cziffra, Richter, and (at his best) Ogden, was one of the top three or four technicians of the latter part of the 20th century.

Lest the reader believe that "The Demonic Liszt" presents Earl Wild as a musically-empty soloist who cares more for technical precision than interpretive coherence - one of the most common criticisms levelled against this gifted player - let me assure you that these are finely crafted readings. While one cannot always make this claim of a Wild recording, in this case (very much like the playing of Wild's equally gifted contemporary Sviatoslav Richter) his boundless technique is employed only as a means to creating a soundly structured end. Incredible fingerwork abounds, but never do we hear technical fireworks displayed simply for their own sake.

An extraordinary artist captured at the height of his powers -- all in all, it makes for a recording that is a must-have for any admirer of great pianism.

There are VERY few pieces of virtuoso piano on disc that approach Robert le Diable on this one. The whole disc is brilliant, but that particular piece still slays me every time. Fans of real jazz and good metal will love it too. As Stravinsky said of Beethoven: "contemporary forever"!

Earl Wild has secured his throne in the immortality as one of the twelve best American pianists of the century. Kapell was the first one and in my opinion the others would be in that exclusive order Rosalyn Tureck. Egon Petri. Leon Fleisher, Earl Wild, Eugene Liszt, Van Cliburn, Byron Janis, Eugene Istomin, Joseph Villa, Raymond Lewenthal, Lorin Hollander, John Browning ,Oscar Levant, Gary Graffman, Leonard Pennario, Selma Kramer, julius Katchen, Abbey Simon and Murray Perahia.

Somehow the enormous stature of this superb pianist has been neglected by unexplainable reasons. Wild , born in 1915 had this sense of span, that whole sound that literally the phrase and sense of the breathing . If Jasha Horenstein chose him to play a set of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerts indicates by itself something. Don't you? . In the other hand his repertoire was strictly romantic. From Dohnayi, Saint Saens, Chopin, his famous performance of Gershwin piano works with Arthur Fielder still are a classic issue.

In the case of Liszt he sounds with authority and convincing expression. He is ver far of making another additional pianist who employs Liszt just only to exhibit himself as a firework player. That concept so admired by the gallery in the XIX fortunately is old fashioned and belongs to the anecdote . However there are names that you and know but by wise discretion is convenient not reveal them.

Buy this album and if you are not absolutely familiarized with Wild moods I guarantee you will make an adjoining rapport with this keyboard artist in these unsurpassable versions only beaten by colossus of the stature of Louis Kentner and Edwin Nyiregyhazi sideral ambassadors in what Lisztian spirit concerns.

The Mephisto Waltz performed here is Mr. Wild's own edition, and (to me) its more successful than Liszt's original. There are some small textual changes within, plus the added very effective closing cadenza. For years this frustrated pianists who were trying to find the score, which I came to find out wasn't available until recently when Schirmir published two volumes of Liszt's works edited by Earl Wild. And the recording itself? Better than anyone else's! Buy this CD just for this track!

I admit I have never listened to that disc, but it does seem to be the same one like CD 29 from Brilliant's recently released box set: Liszt Portrait

My listening experience is admittedly very limited, but I really cannot recall to have ever been impressed to such degree by another pianist's technique. Only Cziffra does come to mind for somebody who can toss off with unbelievable ease works as demanding as the ones on that CD. However, the great difference between Wild and Cziffra is that the former, in addition to stupendous technician, is a fine musician as well. It is true that occasionally (as in the outer parts of Mephisto Waltz No. 1, the coda of 'Don Juan' or most of 'Gnomenreigen') Mr Wild can indulge in virtuosity for virtuosity's sake, playing a little too fast or passing some sections in surprisingly sloppy manner, but that is perhaps inevitable in the case of such high-voltage pianism. These are minor quibbles though. For pretty much all of these 55 minutes or so, Earl Wild's awe-inspiring technique remains under firm control and his fine musicianship may always be relied to improve your appreciation of a work you had presumptuously thought you knew everything about.

The highlight of the disc, indisputably I think, is the Don Juan Fantasy. Well, Lang Lang should sit up and take notice how to use transcendental technique in service of the music, not against it. Wild's technical prowess is downright sensational, at least as much as that of the modern Chinese phenomenon, but it is his unfailing sense for sustaining those gorgeous melodic lines (operatic in origin, it must be remembered) and especially his ability to infuse them with tremendous passion without in the least ruining them (rare phenomenon without any Chinese overtones indeed!) that makes Earl Wild's performance a true classic. Probably nobody is bigger fan than I am of Jorge Bolet's poise and elegance in this amazing work (DECCA, 1978), but even I sometimes hanker for a full-blooded performance that throws all caution to the wind yet remains sensitive to the music. Then I usually turn to Earl Wild's stupendous rendition. I am never disappointed.

Both the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and its analogue from Gounod's 'Faust' are every bit as remarkable as transcriptions/paraphrases (in the former case of Liszt's own orchestral version) as they come out under Wild's unbelievably dexterous fingers; the outer parts are mind-blowing and hardly possible to be surpassed in terms of clarity, the inner ones are compellingly sensual. The 'Valse Infernale' from Meyerbeer's 'Rober le diable', one of Liszt's own warhorses during his virtuoso career, is certainly the most superficial piece on the disc, but its catchy tunes are so brilliantly conveyed on the piano that Wild's blend of devil-may-care virtuosity and fine musicianship makes it sound like a pure masterpiece. The vivacious 'Gnomenreigen', however, is a trifle too fast to be really engaging, and the late 'Mephisto Polka' sounds rather odd among Liszt's much earlier, and easier to comprehend, compositions.

The sound is quite excellent. The dynamic range is enormous but the balance is exemplary; apart from some occasional mild shrillness in the high register, there is absolutely nothing to complain of. Much bigger labels and much later recordings have made a much poorer job in capturing the depth and sonority of the piano than Vanguard Classics did in 1968.

The only real problem with this disc is the really stupid title. If the three waltzes and the polka can be said to have some superficial demonic associations because of their names, what exactly is demonic about 'Gnomenreigen' or the Don Juan Fantasy? Apart from this perfectly insignificant detail, this recording must surely rank among the most outstanding ones of Liszt's music made during the last century. It cannot be recommended highly enough.

This has been my first encounter with Earl Wild's immensely fascinating playing and I cannot pay him a greater compliment than this one: this guy's discography is well worth checking out seriously.

This album literally changed my life. I had always been a devotee of Liszt, but this was in the way of a visceral response that has not been equaled since. Mr. Wild is, in my opinion, the best interpretor of Liszt's Piano pieces. There is no one that even comes close to comparison.