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Liszt's Piano Sonta

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21K views 115 replies 27 participants last post by  60476  
#1 ·
Let's talk about your favorite versions of the Liszt Sonata!

Some years ago I made a blog post about this very subject, and will happily share it here now, on this, (new to me) forum.

lextune said:
A masterpiece like the Franz Liszt's Sonata in B minor can never have a final and definitive interpretation of course, but after working on it, (or even just studying the score in great detail) one begins to expect certain things from any performance.

It has been recorded more than 60 times by the latest count (source: International Piano), and I personally have about 30-some-odd recordings of it.

I thought I might list the ones I like the most (and least).

I find Horowitz' first account (1932) too fast, and the second one (1976) too affected, almost to the point of parody, and yet somehow, both are still brilliant and captivating.

Argerich's recording is famous and nothing short of amazing at times, but it strikes me as very rushed. I do not say she plays it that way, "just because she can", (I am sure she really feels it that way), but for me it does not work as a whole.

Leslie Howard's version is almost unbearably bland and fast to the point of total failure. It is a shame since during his incredible traversal of the complete works, he blessed us with so much wonderful Liszt. To quote another reviewer "unfortunately he makes it sound like just another opera transcription".

Brendel's 1981 reading is brilliant, his fugue is one of the best, and his structural power is, not surprisingly, incredible.

Richter (a number of live recordings) and Gilels (live, and a 1964 studio) are both stupendous. Filled to the brim with power, and yet elegant and beautiful.

Cziffra dazzles and has a exquisite tone through much of the work, but he comes off as quite episodic, with little overall structure.

Zimmerman's recording (1990) is wonderful and obviously planned down to every detail. The pacing and tempo relations are among the best achieved.

Pollini is fantastic. Sleek and modern, he builds the piece like an edifice of sound.

Pogorelich's rendition is another amazing one. Compare Pollini and Pogorelich and you can see how truly inexhaustible the work is. They could not be more different, but both work to great effect. Pogorelich is slower than most in many parts, but wildly fast in some of the faster sections. He seems to walk a tightrope, switching from gigantic power to amazing lightness.

John Ogden's 1964 recording is quite a disappointment, episodic to the point disconnection.

If I absolutely had to pick just one recording though, it would be Arrau's 1970 recording. Seemingly carved from granite, it is a monument to structural cohesiveness, but structure is not the main feeling one gets from the interpretation. It is beautiful in tone, and free from all traces of affectation, but it is not just a "pretty" rendition. He has power to spare (in the vein of Horowitz and Richter), but never bangs, all the fortissimos are deep and rich sounding.

There are many more worth mentioning, but this is a good place to start.

My recommendations:

Arrau
Brendel
Gilels
Pogorelich
Pollini
Richter
Zimmerman
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M
#12 · (Edited)
There's Arrau's medal winning Toronto performance of this sonata. The only available issue on disc is Diapason release together with Horowitz and Barere's versions. I checked with Arrauhouse website and it is indeed unavailable anywhere else though Diapason's release is not mentioned there for some reason, it was only released in 2011 Liszt Illuminated now anavailbe also, or for the stupid price only.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I have about 20 recordings of the Liszt B Minor Sonata...

Claudio Arrau's 70's recording is the benchmark for me.

Argerich (DG) and Richter (Philips) are also right up there. Brendel (Philips) was a great Liszt interpreter and is up there for me as well. Fleisher's recording on CBS/Sony one of the best. Rubinstein & Watts are also sentimental favorites.

There's really some great recordings of this one.
 
#14 ·
The two recordings that I return to most frequently are by François-Frédéric Guy (Zig Zag Territories) and Ivo Pogorelić (DG).

Of course, Martha Argerich is a thrill ride. I've enjoyed Andrea Lucchesini's recording as well.

Clifford Curzon is the only recording that I have that strikes me as a misfire. I think he isn't a good fit temperament-wise for Liszt.

Lazar Berman is usually my main man when it comes to Liszt, but -- for some reason -- I've never heard his famous Melodiya recording of the B minor Sonata.
 
#17 ·
I have Levy's recording. It is an amazing 2CD set actually. The Liszt Sonata, the Benediction, Beethoven's Hammerklavier, and op.111, and some pieces composed by Levy himself.

While his Liszt Sonata does succeed in holding my interest, I can't really say I love it. It is of another time. It's tempo relations, and dynamic swings are just too much for me. He blatantly ignores many of Liszt's instructions. It makes for an extremely dramatic interpretation, one that shouldn't be missed, but it can't be said to be authoritative.
 
G
#18 ·
Denis Matsuev's on his live Carnegie Hall recording is wonderful. Other favorites include Ivo Pogorelich, Lazar Berman, Sviatoslav Richter's Praga recording, Khatia Buniatishvili, and Daniil Trifonov's live Carnegie Hall recording (the least demonic of the bunch, but it's beautifully played).
 
#40 · (Edited)
I had not heard of this pianist so I looked her up on youtube, and found a version of her playing the Liszt Sonata live.

She certainly has big technique, but she really should have let the Liszt Sonata steep a few more years, (or a decade or two; she's young enough). She pounds her way through most of it. Wildly fast in many places, then she'll slam the brakes on to wring out some beautiful pianissimos. Her tempi from section to section have no relation to one another whatsoever, and Liszt's structure is completely absent.

She also rewrites phrases everywhere, or more likely, is not attempting, or thinking, about the phrasing at all. Her entire "interpretation" (I use the term incredibly lightly), consists of "listen to this feather-soft timbre" and "watch the hell out I am going to beat this keyboard to death".

In the end saying it was a terrible interpretation gives it too much credit. She just learned the notes, and tried to make them pretty, and/or devastating. It never reached the level of serious music making.
 
B
#37 ·
Stephen Hough. His rendition of it is thoughtful and meditative.

Many performers (particularly at piano competitions) treat the Liszt sonata as a virtuoso showpiece. I find it refreshing to hear Hough's more contemplative take on this warhorse.
 
H
#38 ·
Bettina said:
Stephen Hough. His rendition of it is thoughtful and meditative.

Many performers (particularly at piano competitions) treat the Liszt sonata as a virtuoso showpiece. I find it refreshing to hear Hough's more contemplative take on this warhorse.
Click to expand...
Yes. I like his performance very much, thanks to your recommendation. :)
 
H
#53 · (Edited)
Look, the Buniatishvili studio recording is a once in a while listening affair. She plays too fast in the virtuosic passages for my brain to absorb the notes. Thrilling, but......

I would be reaching more often for performances with more overall thought-out proportion-where the virtuosity is kept in check a bit more, such as the aforementioned Stephen Hough or Claudio Arrau, to name a few.
 
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