Liszt Piano Recital

Franz Liszt (Composer), Leif Ove Andsnes (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes
• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000058B1X
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,350 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An index to the excellence of Leif Ove Andsnes's Liszt recital is that he makes familiar works exciting and fresh-sounding and obscure ones persuasive and accessible. Andsnes turns the "Mephisto" Waltz No. 1 from a tired circus stunt into a tone poem daring in its effrontery and voluptuous in its lyricism. He plays the "Dante" Sonata without the usual penny-awful bludgeoning and sentimental blustering and lifts its treatment of love, chaos, and redemption to an exalted level. The infrequently performed "Andante lagrimoso" (No. 9 of the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses) is haunting in its unceasing alterations between pain and serenity. And in late works--such as the Second and Fourth "Mephisto" Waltzes and the "Valse oubliée" No. 4--the pianist shows us how far Liszt had traveled from romanticism toward both expressionism and impressionism, making us understand how these works lit the paths of composers as diverse as Debussy, Schoenberg, and Bartók. If you buy only one recording of Liszt's piano music this year, make it this. --Stephen Wigler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, July 29, 2001

By 

Clark W. Sorensen (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liszt Piano Recital (Audio CD)

Wow! It is as if I had never heard the Dante sonata before. A problematic work that never sounds as good as it ought to be suddenly came alive when I listened to the first cut on this CD. Andsnes has the necessary poetry and can tie the long lines of a complex work together. He can also reach that shattering climax when he needs to. The first Mephisto Waltz was as exciting as I have ever heard it, yet his fortissimos never become percussive. And what a treat to get Andante lagrimoso from Liszt's neglected Harmonies poetiques et religieuses. This is a must for those of you who love Lizst, and even more for those of you who think you might like Liszt (if you heard the right performance).

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding Performances Of Liszt's Music, March 2, 2002

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liszt Piano Recital (Audio CD)

Leif Ove Andsnes' latest recording most certainly has to be regarded as among his best. I haven't heard Liszt played with such vigor and passion before. Andsnes gives a fresh, exhilirating interpretation of the Dante Sonata, and his performances of other works such as the Mephisto waltzes are equally compelling. This is one of the most exciting recent recordings of solo piano music I've heard. My only regret is that Andsnes hasn't recorded Liszt's other works for the piano. I have no doubt that such performances would be equally spellbinding. The sound quality is superb, comparable in quality to what I've heard on EMI's recordings of Stephen Kovacevich's ongoing Beethoven piano sonata cycle.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A supreme recital, June 10, 2004

By 

Sarp Demir (Izmir, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liszt Piano Recital (Audio CD)

Andsnes's superb Liszt performance deserves the attention. His interpretation of the Ballade No. 2 is among the best. The unusual light touch that he uses in every piece determines the characteristic property of the whole set. Also I have to say that his Mephisto Waltz No. 1 is the fastest I have seen recently, and he does that without a single misplaced finger ! Appreciated recording.