Transcendental Etudes

Franz Liszt (Composer), Jorge Bolet (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Jorge Bolet
• Composer: Franz Liszt
• Audio CD (November 23, 1999)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ensayo
• ASIN: B00003XAWE
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #582,912 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desert island "Etudes"!, December 8, 2000

By A Customer

I love Liszt's "Etudes," and I place Bolet's performance at the top. Like other favorite music, such as the Well-Tempered Clavier and Beethoven's Symphonies, to name but two, I own several performances of the "Etudes", and will probably buy more. But I don't think anyone will ever blow Bolet away, and I guess only Liszt himself could.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best of Bolet's versions, September 16, 2005

By	Shady Ave Reader (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

Like the other Ensayo recordings by Bolet, these lack some of the verve and spirit that one usually finds in other Bolet recordings. Bolet was usually described as a romantic, and usually his heart shines through the music (particularly on any live performance). But these are a bit Liszt-less (if you will excuse the pun)and technical sounding.

The Decca version is better. It is available in their box set of Bolet's Liszt Piano recordings. Decca also issued the Transcendental Etudes separately at one point, but that is out of print (but appears in used and auction sites.) If you still have a turntable, the LP version is much better sounding than the CD.

But if you don't want to shell out the 40-50 dollars for the box set, and don't do vinyl anymore, this is your only choice and not a bad one. And I would still prefer to listen to Bolet on an off day, than most pianists' best day.

Another superior version is Bolet's recording of these (Etudes 1,2,3,5,7,8-11 only) in the 1960's with RCA. This is (I believe) only available in a mono version RCA LM-2291. Unfortunately this version has not been re-issued, but it is frequently available used on auction sites.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not good, July 19, 2007

By	M. Watkins "The Preeminent Authority on Every... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

yeah, he plays the notes...but so slowly, so sedatedly, makes me fall asleep! I'm happy with Arrau's, supplemented in some of the weaker spots by Berezovsky. Don't need this at all.