Customer Reviews

Liszt: Les Préludes; Mazeppa; Hungarian Rhapsodies 2, 3 & 14; Etc.

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To hear 60 minutes of some of Liszt's most popular orchestral music is an experience not to miss.

Les Preludes is music you've probably heard for many years if you listen to any classical music station. At less tha $4, you have Kurt Mazur at his best, before he became the conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Not to be missed at this price.

This was Liszt at his best. And at the price, I couldn't believe what I got. I thought I was going to get some chopped up versions of him, but what was in store was a treat. Les Preludes is absolutely fantastic. This CD is the best value you can buy!! It's definitely the best I ever bought!!

I purchased this CD for the Rákóczy March to use while flying kites (it's fun to listen to music while flying). For the price, one can't go wrong with these recordings.

I have several recordings of these works -- I'm always looking for a "best" performance. This isn't it. Put simply, the recording and performance are both thin and ancient sounding, despite digital re-mastering. In Les Preludes, there is simply a lack of conviction, and the lack of affect is made worse by a recording that makes the orchestra sound understaffed by half. A much -- vastly -- better recording is available on Hungaroton (HCD 12446-2) with the Hungarian State Orchestra conducted by Janos Ferencsik. It also includes the tone poems Orpheus and Tasso. All three tone poems are recorded in fine, full sonics, with wonderful hall sound, and receive committed, energetic recordings, just about the best I've found over the years. If you are serious about the Liszt tone poems, don't waste your money on this CD.

The CD is extraordinary. I have a special fondness to Les Preludes since my daughter played it several years ago at Interlochen Music Camp near
Traverse City, MI.

FLASH GORDON & MING THE MERCILESS

Un Cd con una seleccion imperdible del genio de Liszt, desde el sinigual Les Preludes y Mazeppa, hasta las maravillosas y geniales rapsodias hungaras un deleite con grandes directores y sus orquestas.
El famosisimo Rosza se encarga de la primera obra "Les preludes" y junto a la pomposa Hollywood Bowl Orchestra nos hace regocijar de luminosidad y sentimentalismo, al final del Cd se hace cargo de una belleza increible y mas popular en la version para piano y orquesta, la rapsodia hungara N°14, sencillamente genial. Masur en una interpretacion soberbia, una de mis favoritas no entrega un Mazeppa que nos deja sin aire, vibrante, sutil, portentosa.
Willi Boskovsky junto a la formidable Filarmonica de Londres se hace cargo de dos Rapsodia Hungaras la N°2 y N°3, bien interpretadas y con brillo especial. Sigue Boskovsky con dos obras del tipo patriotico cercana a la 1812 de Tchaikovsky, la marcha Rakovszy es muy popular y en esta version suena excelente, la marcha batalla hungara es la pieza mas diferente del conjunto, un poco apoteosica pero llena del estilo y efectismo de Liszt.
Una seleccion incomparable en versiones sin igual.