La Campanella Liszt

Franz Liszt was without doubt one of the greatest (if not The Greatest) pianists of all time, as well as an innovating and visionary composer, in one word…a Genius!

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt's birth, virtuoso pianist Lang Lang has selected some of the composer's most characteristic pieces for his 2011 Sony release, Liszt: My Piano Hero…

A pianist’s dream: a rare and precious testament of a great pianist’s vision (Busoni) of another’s (Liszt) work. Very popular repertoire in extremely rare versions. Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) was one of the most gifted pianists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as being a composer of considerable importance and vision. A child prodigy, he debuted at the age of 12, being quickly marked out as a piano virtuoso unlike any other. His reputation for many years rested on his remarkable transcriptions of J.S Bach, which tended to overshadow both his original compositions and his other transcriptions.

Liszt's three volumes of Annees de pelerinage are rarely recorded complete, largely because many pianists remain baffled by the dark-hued prophecy and romanticism of the third and final book. So it is particularly gratifying to welcome Lazar Berman's superb 1977 DG recordings back into the catalogue, particularly when so finely remastered on CD. Berman is hardly celebrated as the most subtle or refined of pianists, but at his greatest he combines grandeur and sensibility to a rare degree and his response to Book Three, in particular, is of the highest musical quality and poetic insight.

In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt's birth, Deutsche Grammophon has assembled a limited-edition, 34-CD collection, housed in a sturdy cubic package that many collectors will covet for its impressive appearance. But this comprehensive set is really aimed at serious Liszt aficionados who appreciate the diverse ways of playing this arch-Romantic's passionate music.

Even though EMI has reissued some interesting old recordings in its "encore" series, there are some that seem to have been brought out of storage a bit past their prime and that may be disappointing because of their weak audio reproduction. Cécile Ousset's flashy readings of Franz Liszt's Sonata in B minor, S. 178, and the Paganini Studies, S. 141, date from 1984, and as one might expect, they sound like early digital recordings in their lack of presence, chilly ambience, and shallow dimensions. Something of a rarity, Ousset's animated and energetic interpretations may rescue this CD for fans who have never heard her play Liszt before; or the budget price may at least make it acceptable for others.