Liszt: Music For Piano And Orchestra 2 / Howard (The Complete Music For Solo Piano)
This set includes two novelties.De Profundisis Liszt's longest work for piano and orchestra--36 minutes long. "The work unfolds at an unhurried pace," pianist Leslie Howard writes, a polite way of saying that it meanders interminably. But Sophie Menter'sHungarian Concerto, probably written with Liszt's assistance and orchestrated by Tchaikovsky, is a highly entertaining piano romp. Liszt's arrangements of Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasy and Weber'sKonzertstückdon't add anything worthwhile to the originals, but the Second Piano Concerto,Totentanz, andHungarian Fantasiaare all outstanding pieces. Howard and Karl Anton Rickenbacher's performances are alert and exciting, demonstrating that the one flop in volume 1 was an anomaly, and the tone of the piano comes through with thrilling realism and impact. This could be more Liszt than you need, but the best things in it are really worthwhile.--Leslie Gerber