Piano Concerto 1 / Hungarian Fantasy
Claudio Arrau in the early 1950s offered in his performances an ideal  blend of deep thinking and glittering virtuosity, traits in abundance in these  spectacular recordings. The spontaneity often missing from his later efforts  suffuses all of these works, and he's aided by Eugene Ormandy's great orchestra.  TheHungarian Rhapsodiesare dazzling, full of excitement and even humor.  TheFantasiasounds like a major work in Arrau's hands, full of poetic  flair, and featuring unbelievably even trills, pregnant with meaning. The  Concerto works on a similarly exalted level, with Arrau's bronze tone and  impeccable technique scaling the heights of lyricism without stinting on drama  and excitement. All in all, a must-have for Lisztians and keyboard devotees.---Dan Davis