Liszt: Piano Sonata In B minor / Annees de pelerinage, (2nd year, Italy) - Sonnets Nos. 4 - 7, S. 161:4-7, 178

Franz Liszt (Composer), John Browning (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John Browning
• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Audio CD (December 11, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Delos Records
• ASIN: B0000006VI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,797 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars After years of doubt, Browning's conversion to Liszt is refreshing, November 14, 2011

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liszt: Piano Sonata In B minor / Annees de pelerinage, (2nd year, Italy) - Sonnets Nos. 4 - 7, S. 161:4-7, 178 (Audio CD)

I feel a bit chagrined that like many others I've overlooked John Browning, pigeonholing this estimable pianist in two small niches - the music of his friend Samuel Barber and the concertos of Prokofiev. Here we have a Liszt recital issued in 1986, the year that Browning turned 53; he died, not yet seventy, in 2003. The technique is accomplished, the interpretations direct and unfussy. As with other American virtuosos of that generation, the shadow of Horowitz lingers - Browning's B minor Sonata is propulsive, glittering, and extroverted. which makes it a thrill to listen to, especially if you don't want Horowitz's nervous mannerisms and artifice in phrasing. On the other hand, since Browning doesn't extend himself to make the sonata sound profound, his reading may come off as emotionally a bit shallow, although never to the point that he is merely sliding over the surface.

Horowitz's shadow lingers over the three Petrach sonnets for another reason, because of his incomparable interpretative skills in these improvisatory, songful works. I've never heard another pianist who sounded half as imaginative and spontaneous. Here Browning suffers by sounding a bit ordinary a la Van Cliburn when his instincts are too plain in poetic music. But I like Cliburn's Liszt on its own terms - I think of it as American Liszt, that is, plain-spoken - and I like Browning's for the same reason. The last thing on the program, the clattery, bombastic Dante Sonata, wasn't recorded by Horowitz, but there's a superb live account by Volodos on Sony that turns lead into gold. In a more sober vein there is also Andsnes on EMI, and for dazzling technique one turns to Lise de la Salle in her recent Liszt recital. By comparison Browning is a bit faceless, but he doesn't bang and his account is thrilling in its own right.

Delos delivers its usual exemplary sound, marred slightly by digital glassiness. I started out this review wanting to offset the foolish remarks made by the lead reviewer but wound up engrossed and entertained - a reminder that Browning shouldn't be forgotten. In an accompanying interview Browning reveals that he came to Liszt late after years of doubt. But his free, rhapsodic way with this very familiar music is refreshing.

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Acceptable performance, but lacks in musicality, August 6, 2005

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J. Lee (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liszt: Piano Sonata In B minor / Annees de pelerinage, (2nd year, Italy) - Sonnets Nos. 4 - 7, S. 161:4-7, 178 (Audio CD)

The major work on this album is clearly the Piano Sonata in Bm. I own four recordings of this piece, and this is the worst of the bunch. Right off the bat, there is a lack of ferocity in the Lento assai beginning and an as he plays through the 17 or so tempo changes, I can't help feel that I'm being shortchanged by the performance. Maybe this is because I am constantly comparing the performance to the benchmark performance by Martha Argerich (which is available on multiple recordings Martha Argerich Collection DG, Debut Recital DG, Greatest Pianists of the 20th Century II Philips).

If you want the Liszt Piano Sonata, buy the Argerich version. Browning's performance is forgettable. Argerich's performance is spectacular.