Abbe Liszt

[Joseph K]

Did Paik record the Prokofiev PCs on Naxos a while back?

Don't know, sorry.

[teamsaint]

Did Paik record the Prokofiev PCs on Naxos a while back?

Yes, round about 1992.

I bought the Liszt disc that JK recommends, and it is indeed very good.

[Pulcinella]

Did Paik record the Prokofiev PCs on Naxos a while back?

Yes he did:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/search?search_query=prokofiev+piano+concerto+paik+naxos

[richardfinegold]

Yes he did:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...rto+paik+naxos

I used to have those recordings. Terrific Pianist

[Sir Velo]

A little of his music goes a long way for me, I do like the water imitiation-proto-Debussy sounding stuff

I think calling Liszt's music proto Debussy is doing him something of a disservice! Let's not forget that Ravel's Jeux d'eau is a conscious hommage to Les Jeux d'eau a la villa d'este. The third book of the Annees, the sonata and late piano works are highly innovative, particularly in their deployment of the lower registers of the keyboard. Kubrick was alive to the sinister heart of these late pieces when he set Nuage Gris so disturbingly in the morgue scene of Eyes Wide Shut. In fact this piece sounds more like proto Webern than Debussy! Scanning Qobuz I note that the likes of Richter, Brendel, Pollini, Lortie, Lewis, Zimerman and Aimard have all been drawn to these late works, so there must be something in them!

[gurnemanz]

With the zeal of the convert my most recent Liszt purchase was Twelve Symphonic Poems for 2 pianos with Leslie Howard and Mattia Ometto. Not everyone would regard this as an essential purchase but I grabbed it unhesitatingly at £8 for 3 discs from MDT (just before they went bust) and found them marvellous. Not mere transcriptions but re-interpretations for piano duet. New recordings from Brilliant.

[Jonathan]

With the zeal of the convert my most recent Liszt purchase was Twelve Symphonic Poems for 2 pianos with Leslie Howard and Mattia Ometto. Not everyone would regard this as an essential purchase but I grabbed it unhesitatingly at £8 for 3 discs from MDT (just before they went bust) and found them marvellous. Not mere transcriptions but re-interpretations for piano duet. New recordings from Brilliant.

As did I! Interesting to compare with the Duo Mangos recording from about 15 years ago.

[BBMmk2]

That’s what put me off! (And those damned piano concertos )

Oh I rather like those! I have a couple or so recordings!

[gurnemanz]

Coincidentally re Abbé Liszt and religion, when looking at new reviews on the German site Klassik-heute I came across a new disc from the pianist, Martina Filjak, called Light & Darkness, Works by Franz Liszt under the motto of the Goethe quote: "Where the light is brightest, the shadows are deepest". It was given a top recommendation and I streamed it on Spotify. It turns out to be an interestingly selected recital of diverse items including the impressionistic St Francis Sermon to the Birds and concluding with a short piece by Arvo Pärt. It is well worth a listen but I don't think I'll buy the disc, but note that Amazon have it at a surprisingly low price.

[Jonathan]

I think I listened to excerpts from this disc, thought it sounded interesting and then didn't do anything about it! I'll find it on Spotify. Thanks for the pointer! ☺

[Jonathan]

Following on from my previous post, I listened to the Martina Filjak today and I am very impressed. Fantastic playing all round. Benediction de Dieu was particularly good.

[Joseph K]

Following on from my previous post, I listened to the Martina Filjak today and I am very impressed. Fantastic playing all round. Benediction de Dieu was particularly good.

Yes! That is the kind of time it ought to take to play that magnificent piece.

[Jonathan]

Agreed - I played it in a concert 26 years ago and it was timed at about 21 minutes.

[silvestrione]

Agreed - I played it in a concert 26 years ago and it was timed at about 21 minutes.

I beg to differ: it drifts into sentimentality, for me, if played too slowly. I adore Brendel's version (just over 17 minutes), or Brigitte Engerer (16'52).