Liszt: Orchestral and Piano Concertante Works

 

I have had trouble with Franz Liszt's orchestral music. They are long, with periods of endless intimate solo-instrument features, making them difficult to come together in my mind, no matter how descriptive his music is.

Then along comes Kurt Masur, the East-German patrician of central Austro-German orchestral repertoire. One might think Masur would be dead in the water with the music of Liszt, but they would be wrong. Instead, he directs swiftly moving, non-nonsense, edgy and combustible readings of Liszt's works. No, musical poetry is not to be had here, for that go to Bernard Haitink on Decca, a conductor who refuses to let down his hair.

A few times I might have thought Masur was too heavy-handed or too brusque with a section, but it all comes together much better for me than a heart-on-sleeve Bernstein, for example. French pianist Michel Béroff joins in the two piano concertos and seven concertante works. He is a little more inward in the piano concertos, but shows his virtuosity strongly in the concertante pieces.

The Gewandhaus Orchestra is string-section forward, leaving the wind details as subtle colorings when the music gets going. The EMI sound from the 70s, remastered in the 90s, is a tad harsh, where I could imagine more depth and voluptuousness in the orchestral sound, but one can easily sense the qualities of the Leipzig ensemble.

No, Liszt isn't going to be a favorite composer of mine anytime soon. However, at least I now have a 7CD set where conductor, orchestra, and pianist get right to the point in his music. That is the prize of this set. Visit the Liszt composer page to read my detailed response to all seven CDs from Warner's Masur set.

 

 

Works
CD1 Sym Poems 1 - 4 (73.48)
CD2 Sym Poems 5 - 8 (75.59)
CD3 Sym Poems 9 - 12 (75.59)
CD4 Faust Symphony & Sym Poem 13 (75.07)
CD5 Dante Symphony & Faust Episodes (67.55)
CD6 Piano Concerto 1 & 2 (68.01)
CD7 Piano Concertante Works (77.51)

Soloists
Michel Béroff, piano
Klaus König, tenor (S. 108)
Volker Arndt, boy soprano (S. 109)

Performers
Leipzig Radio Choir (S. 108)
Thomanerchor (S. 109)
Gewandhaus Orchestra
Kurt Masur, conductor

Label: Warner
Year: 1977 - 1980; 2011 (set)
Total Timing: 8.34.40

This is not the perfect set. The sound could use a remaster job, and sometimes Masur is a little too no-nonsense where a gentler hand would be preferred.

But if I am going to listen to Liszt's symphonic poems and concertante works, this is the one I am heading to first.

Plus, is there another set as comprehensive as this one, with the symphonies, symphonic poems, and piano concerto works all in one place?

Find more Liszt recordings HERE!