Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Liszt - The romantic Romantic, June 30, 2006
Volume 10 of the Complete Piano Music of Liszt series is a high-quality release from the Naxos label. Most Lisztophiles out there have had to rely on Leslie Howard's recordings from the Hyperion label. Thankfully, Naxos is following the model of Hyperion by presenting rare but totally substantial works from Liszt. Jeno Jando has made some magnificent recordings for Naxos and has contributed wonderfully to the Liszt series. I'm happy to say that he continues his exhibitions with customary excellence.
Before getting to the melancholy and romantic pieces that make up the bulk of this CD, the recording opens with a demonic romp, the "Scherzo and March." The work is a marvelously devilish virtuoso piece published the same year as the Sonata in B minor. It's interesting to note such bland and ambiguous titles Liszt gave to such works. But the "Scherzo" is an energetic tour-de-force from the same sound world as the Mephisto Waltzes. The liner notes calls it "a musical vision of darkness. It is forceful, wonderfully harmonized and abounding in sharp dissonances conjuring up nightmarish images." Indeed, it is a violent and demonic work played with brilliant élan by Jando; he surpasses Howard in my opinion. The subsequent "March" is an effective one with a dramatic martial character that retreats the original "Scherzo" theme with satisfying invention. The liner notes states that the March "has been compared to a battle of good versus evil. Although one clearly hears the frenzied activities of the Witches' Sabbath, good eventually seems to prevail in this tempestuous piece."
The devil creeps away from Liszt in the three Liebestraumen. These surely demonstrate Liszt's most Romantically romantic melodic material. Jando's interpretations are delicate, sensitive and admirably passionate; I find the combination of his tempo and swaying dynamics especially pleasing. Liszt's lovely "Berceuse" also dates from the same year as the Sonata in B minor's publication. He revised it in 1863, adding considerable material (doubling the length of the original work) and Jando gives both versions a stirring and emotional performance. Personally, I place Liszt's "Berceuse" as the second best monument to the genre (after Chopin's, naturally). The two tiny pieces, "Albumblatt" and "Feuilles d'Album" are innocent miniatures, and the latter is a charming and engaging one. Liszt's "Romance" of 1848 is a masterpiece, though. He revised it 30 years later to make the "Romance Oubilée," (which he arranged for chamber ensembles), but is one of the greatest heartfelt and agonizing piano miniatures I've heard, outstripping the finest from Chopin and Schumann. I find the "Élégie" an astounding and highly expressive work, too. I don't remember Howard's rendition, but Jando gives a memorable performance of this tender and sorrowful piece.
Bottom line: This is an outstanding Volume in the Complete Piano Music of Liszt series. Lisztians shouldn't pass it up, especially at the low budget Naxos price. For those unfamiliar with the music, it is absolutely worth hearing (much of it deserves to be popular). This is music of demons and witches, lovers and roses, and all executed with finesse and emotional bearing by an incredible Liszt interpreter, Jeno Jando.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mellifluent, June 21, 2000
Jeno Jando will be an master in the near future. His fast extending repertoire and steadily high standard of records prove that. This disk contains many rare but sweet pieces as well as some of Liszt's most famous work(Lieberstraeume no.3, for example). Jando treats these pieces with a natural singing pace, just as these songs should be. He hides the hard skill under the mellifluent music. We will not recognize those dazzling skills as others do, but a clear performance. Also, unlike many pianists often plays Liszt in an over-sentimental mood, Jando on the other hand gives us a decent image. Recommended.
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