Review by Raymond Tuttle excerpted at ArkivMusic.com
LISZT
Piano Sonata.
Hungarian Rhapsody
No. 13.
Valse oubliée
No. 1. 6 Paganini Etudes.
Au lac de Wallenstadt. Il penseroso
•
André Watts (pn)
•
HÄNSSLER CD 93.718 (77:08) Live: Schwetzingen 5/25/1986
This is a live concert [Avery Fisher Hall, New York], but the sound is on par with just about
any studio recording, and there is no applause, or any other
distraction.
I think it’s been a while since Watts released a new CD, and it is
good to be reminded what a terrific pianist he was … and I hope still
is. (He is still a few years from his 70th birthday, and holds a faculty
position at Indiana University in Bloomington.) His Liszt
Totentanz
is one of the most electrifying piano recordings ever made, and
it reveals him—as does the present release—as having supreme digital
dexterity and a flair for old-school virtuosity. At the same time, he
never has been an effect-mongering showoff, and the performances on this
CD confirm that intelligence and good taste are part of his skill set
as well. I’ve heard more cohesive readings of the Sonata in B Minor,
it’s true, but the music certainly does not fall apart, and Watts always
keeps the big picture in focus. Some might be surprised by his strong
flair for the Magyar elements in the
Hungarian Rhapsody;
they should remember that Watts’s mother was Hungarian.
If you don’t have any of Watts’s Liszt, I’d recommend this highly.
If you do, I’d still recommend it, although I don’t think it eclipses
the studio recordings.
FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle
Works on This Recording
1.
Valses oubliées (4) for Piano, S 215: no 1 in F sharp major by Franz Liszt
2.
Sonata for Piano in B minor, S 178 by Franz Liszt
3.
Hungarian Rhapsodies (19) for Piano, S 244: no 13 in A minor by Franz Liszt
4.
Grandes Etudes (6) de Paganini, S 141 by Franz Liszt
5.
Années de pèlerinage, première année, S 160 "Suisse": no 2, Au lac de Wallenstadt by Franz Liszt
6.
Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année, S 161 "Italie": no 2, Il penseroso by Franz Liszt
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