This set and its companion (CDA67401/2) are perhaps the most important releases in Leslie Howard's complete survey of Liszt's piano music. In addition to such well known works as the mature Piano Concertos (two of the most popular works in the nineteenth-century Romantic repertoire) and the other lesser known but familiar pieces, several items here receive their first recordings; as a result of Leslie Howard's indefatigable research we can now hear orchestral versions of Hexaméron and the Grand Solo de concert for the first time. Also in new versions are the recently discovered Concerto in E flat, Op posth, and De Profundis. A re-examination of the manuscripts has led our pianist to make refinements to the published scores which provide a more accurate reflection of Liszt's intentions.
All these issues and more are documented in Leslie Howard's characteristically thorough notes.
All of the music on this album is also available as part of the specially priced box set Liszt: Complete Piano Music: 'Almost any way you choose to look at it, this is a staggering achievement … the grand scope of this project gives us the chance, as listeners, to experience the almost incomprehensible breadth and depth of Liszt's imagination' (International Record Review).
Piano Concerto No 2 in A major S125[21'02]
CD1
1
Adagio sostenuto assai – Un poco più mosso[3'36]
2
L'istesso tempo[1'42]
3
Allegro agitato assai – Un poco più mosso – Tempo del Andante[1'57]
4
Allegro moderato – In tempo[4'57]
5
Allegro deciso – L'istesso tempo[2'27]
6
Sempre allegro – Marziale, un poco meno allegro – Un poco animato[1'41]
7
Un poco meno mosso – Allegro animato – Stretto – Sempre animato[4'42]
De profundis – Psaume instrumental pour orchestre et piano principal S121a[36'11]
8
Andante[6'34]
9
L'istesso tempo[8'44]
10
Cadenza del pianoforte – A tempo[7'47]
11
Allegro moderato: Tempo di polacca[7'05]
12
Tempo primo[2'55]
13
Allegro marziale[3'06]
Große Fantasie 'Wanderer' S366[21'53]Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
14
Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo[6'08]
15
Adagio[7'20]
16
Presto[4'36]
17
Allegro[3'49]
Concerto pathétique in E minor S365b[25'20]arr. Eduard Reuss (1851-1911)
CD2
18
Allegro energico ed appassionato, ma non troppo presto – Patetico – Agitato[4'35]
19
Grandioso, un poco meno allegro – Andante[2'38]
20
Andante sostenuto[6'05]
21
Allegro agitato assai – Più moderato[1'41]
22
Più mosso – Stretta[2'46]
23
Lento quasi marcia funèbre – Andante sostenuto – Allegro mosso – Allegro trionfante[7'35]
Konzertstück in F minor S367a[17'26]Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
24
Larghetto affettuoso[5'43]
25
Allegro passionato – Adagio[4'42]
26
Tempo di marcia[1'56]
27
Più mosso – Presto gioioso[5'05]
Totentanz – Phantasie für Pianoforte und Orchester 'De profundis version' S126i[18'01]
28
Andante – Allegro – Allegro moderato[1'56]
29
Variation 1: Allegro moderato[0'53]
30
Variation 2: Un poco animato[0'47]
31
Variation 3: Allegro animato[0'29]
32
Variazione fugata[3'04]
33
Alternativo: Allegretto scherzando – Variation 4 – Variation 5 – Variation 6[1'23]
34
Variation 7[0'51]
35
Adagio ma non troppo 'De profundis'[4'29]
36
Allegro – Cadenza – Scherzando – Cadenza[2'15]
37
Allegro con fuoco[1'12]
38
earlier version of Variation 7[0'42]
Fantasie über ungarische Volksmelodien S123[16'17]
39
Andante mesto – Allegro molto[3'21]
40
Allegro eroico – Più animato – Molto adagio, quasi fantasia – Moderato: Fest[4'53]
41
Allegretto alla Zingarese – Molto animato – Cadenza[3'55]
42
Vivace assai – Prestissimo[4'08]
Ungarische Zigeunerweisen 'Konzert im ungarischen Styl' S714[17'36]Sophie Menter (1846-1918) & Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
CD3
43
Andanto con moto – Lento – Tempo I – Allegro – Cadenza – Adagio[3'43]
44
Andante – Allegro – Cadenza[3'50]
45
Allegretto – Cadenza – Andante – Lento[5'09]
46
[Allegretto] – Allegro – Cadenza – Moderato – Allegro vivace – Presto[4'54]
