BaL 29.01.11 Liszt: Anneés de Pélerinage Deuxième Anneé: Italie

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Liszt composed three volumes in this series, but many consider the Italian set to be the finest, culminating in the so-called "Dante Sonata":-

1. Sposalizio
2. Il Pensieroso
3. Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
4. Sonetto 47 del Petrarca
5. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
6. Sonetto 123 del Petrarca
7. Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata

'Venezia e Napoli' - Supplément au Anneés de Pélerinage 2me volume'
1. Gondoliera
2. Canzone
3. Tarantella

Some available versions
Alfred Brendel
Jeno Jando
Mochael Korstick
Daniel Grimwood
Alexander Strukov
Libor Novacek
Leslie Howard
Kemal Gekic
Alan Marks
Lazar Berman
Jerome Lowenthal
Aldo Ciccolini

[verismissimo]

Very interested in this BAL. I have Aldo Ciccolini plus bits of it by Brendel, Berman and others.

Hope they'll do Year One, Suisse, later in the year.

[Pianorak]

There's also Peter Katin's excellent Dante Sonata on Olympia OCD199, and the Sonetto 123 and Sonata on another label (which I haven't got).

[Tapiola]

Of my 4 versions of this work, I would rank them - from favourite to least favourite - thus:

Berman
Bolet (a close second)
Howard
Brendel (a poor 4th)

Howard's Dante Sonata is my favourite of the lot.

[Barbirollians]

I think Brendel is terrific in these works .

[BBMmk2]

Yes, Barbirollians, couldn't agree more.

I am looking for a recording of this work. I think I used to have Lazar Berman(maybe wrong)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'll tell you what. I've been looking through the music this afternoon, and it looks much more difficult than Volume 1 "Suisse" that I (try to) play.

[Tapiola]

For me, Brendel is too considered overall. Considered is fine in No. 1 and (especially) No. 2 of this Book but he never "lets fly" in later pieces such as the Dante Sonata or the more Romantic passages of the sonnet pieces. For these, I turn to Bolet and the less polished but more visceral Berman. Howard, to these ears the most workmanlike of these pianists, gets the requisite oomph where needed, and leaves his best till last, with a devastating Dante. Brendel's consideredness in everything he plays (in my experience) ill suits Liszt.

[EdgeleyRob]

Sposalizio is one of my all time favourite piano pieces,I only have the Phillips duo recording of all 3 years with Brendel in 1 & 2 and Kocsis in no 3. The performances sound fine to me (although I am no expert !)

[silvestrione]

I have known the Brendel for years (is there only one? Mine's on LP and is analogue, Phillips. He re-recorded all his Schubert and Beethoven digitally, with mixed results in my view, but I don't know whether he did with the Liszt) and have loved it for years. I guess the 'consideredness' works for me...I find a little restraint in music that can soon sound self-indulgent or sentimental or histrionic rather essential. I also love the Kempff version, mono for Decca. The Kempff DG is about to come out again and I have it on order.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I have Brendel on LP and Jando, listed by EA, on CD. Has anyone any views on Jando in this work or any other? He's supposed to be the most-recorded pianist on the planet and to have little or no concert-hall reputation or following(*). Yet what I've heard from him on Naxos has been at least decent and often a lot better than that.

(*)He isn't Joyce Hatto's brother by any chance, is he??

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've some Beethoven Sonata CDs with Jando which seem very good. I wasn't aware that he didn't do much concert work.






How embarrassing! I've put the wrong date for BAL. It's on the 29th, not the 28th.

[Tapiola]

Eine Alpensinfonie,

It was enough for you to alert us all to this important programme. A day or two here or there makes no difference. Those who will want to listen will make the effort regardless.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Eine Alpensinfonie,

It was enough for you to alert us all to this important programme. A day or two here or there makes no difference. Those who will want to listen will make the effort regardless.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Well, here we go.

I did wonder whether there would be a HIPP version, having not been able to find one in the list. I hadn't realised the Daniel Grimwood version was played on a Victorian vertical strung piano. It's always interesting o know what composers were up against, and it's good that such instruments can still be heard.

But overstrung pianos were around since the 1920s (merely to save space), but were introduced on grand pianos in 1859. Liszt composed "Anneés de Pélerinage Deuxième Anneé: Italie" in 1858, so technically speaking the twangy Victorian grand Grimwood used was more HIPP. But as soon as the overstrung pianos were on the market, Liszt embraced them. So are we doing Liszt any favours by harking back to what was Hobson's choice at the time?