Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
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CD Details
Edition: Music CDFormat: Import
CD Release Date: 1999-03-29
Music Label: Eloquence
Soundtracks:
- Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat
- Piano Concerto No.2 In A
- 3 Etudes De Concert, S.144 No.
Music reviews of Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Music Review: there are great Liszt concertos from Arrau, but these aren't them
Rating: 3 Stars
These recordings of the Liszt concertos date from Arrau's Indian Summer with Colin Davis (1981), which yielded an admired cycle of Beethoven concertos; however, they are a prime example of the ultra-gentle approach that characterized nearly all of the pianist's studio concerto recordings beginning in the mid-1950's (the great cycle of Beethoven concertos on EMI with Galliera are among the few exceptions to this). As Arrau aged his concerto readings for Philips grew even mellower, a conundrum considering that he continued to produce powerful solo recordings right into his upper seventies. Perhaps, as Arrau's biographer Joseph Horowitz suggested, "with a hundred musicians, including two primary interpreters, on hand, there are extra egos to coordinate, and extra mistakes to correct" which is why "Arrau's concerto recordings often disappoint."
No such problems exist with the pianist's concerto recordings that have been captured live - in fact quite the opposite. They are often fiery, showing Arrau as a passionate advocate and a risk-taker, in contrast to his over-polished studio output. Having said that, one of Arrau's greatest recordings is of the Liszt E flat major concerto, a 1952 studio session made in one uninterrupted and unedited take (Piano Concerto 1 / Hungarian Fantasy). At the end of the first and only run-through Eugene Ormandy told Arrau, "We're done. It can't be better than this." Arrau, ever the perfectionist in the studio, apparently agreed, for this is a performance that convinces in every detail - from the reflective elements of the first three movements which have a serenity and beauty that are hallmarks of this great pianist, to the kaleidoscopic whirlwind of the fourth movement where Arrau unleashes cascades of glittering notes. The Philips remake with Colin Davis cannot remotely compete with this stunning account from nearly thirty years earlier. The same is true of a titanic reading of the A major concerto from a 1953 concert with Guido Cantelli and the NY Philharmonic (available in good sound on this attractive Arrau anthology: Serioser Klangzauberer/Serious Wizard of Sound).
My advice is to get the earlier recordings which capture one of the greatest Lisztians of the 20th century in his prime.
More Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 free music reviews:
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