Do you think? I can feel something consistent about Liszt in all of his works, I feel like the other Mephistos do share a similar flavor.

Got started on Mazeppa (waving arms around is super fun), going to order B minor Sonata sheet music! I see a Hal Leonard one that has the publisher marked as Editio Musica Budapest, does anyone know if this means it's just a reprint of Budapest or what?

I exaggerated a bit - like you say, I can get something sort of "Lisztian" in all of his works. But I wonder how much of that is just because I know he wrote them, which enables me to find a commonality?

A recent discovery for me has been one of Liszt's choral masterpieces, the Missa solennis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran (Gran Mass). Here are my two favourite movements, the Kyrie and Credo (the Credo being one of the greatest choral movements i've ever heard).





Another one is his Hungarian Coronation Mass. It is a very simple work - very little counterpoint, almost no harmonic experimentation, simple and clear choral/orchestral writing...But all that is also where its charm lies for me. Simple, light-hearted glory. Unfortunately there are no good performances on youtube.

I also got a recording of another of his better choral works - the Psalm XIII, but it didn't really reach me on first listens.

My favorite Ave Maria of all.

Video and sound could both be better on this, but I can't think of anyone who does this better than Kocsis.

[video:youtube]http://youtu.be/J1gV2qtb71w[/video]

I have to say I mostly disliked Liszt....until I listened to his Sonata in Bm. It's just fantastic. Then I fell in love with Mephisto's Waltz. And then I heard his Am Bach Organ fugue transcription. And then I just went off the deep end. :].
One of my friends is playing the Bm sonata at his senior recital next year, I can't wait! He's presenting three sonata's, the Waldenstein, the Liszt Bm, and one more 20th century sonata by a composer I hadn't heard of till he mentioned him, I forget right now.

Speaking of the B minor, I stumbled across an oddity - a two piano version by Saint Saens in my collection. Of course I had to search Youtube with little hope of finding a recording, but lo and behold:

What an insanely successful thread!

As for my appreciation -- this is my favorite piece by Liszt performed by my favorite young pianist.

"Maiden's Wish"

Why is this piece "Chopin-Liszt"? What did Chopin do to get some credit?

It's a song by Chopin that Liszt transcribed to the piano.

Ahh I see. It is a rather charming little song if you ask me, though I prefer the transcription.

Chopin's songs, while nice, are not among his best works. Liszt's transcriptions greatly improved them and turned them into lovely, nocturne-esque piano pieces - that work very well as a cycle!

Nocturne-esque?? Not "Maiden's Wish"... which pieces are you talking about?

Oh sorry, my mistake. Yes, not Maiden's Wish, although that is part of the cycle. Yeah, they are six pieces in different styles. The one I know best is 'My Joys,' which is Nocturne-esque.

As Charles Rosen memorably observed: Chopin clearly didn't waste any time on them.

One of many instances wherein Liszt made improvements, cf 'Danse Macabre' and the 2nd Paganini etude.

I think all of Liszt's song transcriptions are an improvement over the source, including his own. That is of course, just my opinion.

Wow. How many of Liszt's songs do you know, and have you ever accompanied them with a singer?

I have, and almost all of those I played were beautifully written for both piano and singer.

I agree. Anyone who doubts Chopin's abilities as a song writer are either ignorant or stupid. He was a musical super-genius who happened to also love the opera. I'm SURE if he wanted to put out some great songs he could have -- I don't think he cared though.

I know a few but it doesn't matter, I wouldn't be able to tolerate playing them with a classically trained singer, which is why the transcriptions are an improvement. (to me)

No doubt. There's no reason why he couldn't have been a great song writer.

But he wasn't. Nor was he much of an orchestrator.

*facepalm*

With Chopin's talent he could have done anything.

A fuss is often made about Chopin's weak orchestrations in the piano concertos, but how else would the piano part be properly heard? Tausig and company attempted re-orchestrations, but then they found they had to re-write some of the piano writing so that it could project over a busier orchestration.

No solution there.

Hey now, the "gush over everything Chopin wrote thread" is in the ABF. Let's keep it there, please. (I'm hoping this thread title will keep Mark and Beet from adding a couple of pages of Chopin defense)

Since this great pianist passed away early this year, I figured it would be appropriate to share these.

Interesting -and quite appropriate to share, thank-you!- but I just cannot love that recording. Weissenberg had a technique which must have been the envy of any pianist, but so often I get the impression of a sadistic brutality. Compared to Argerich's quick, silent, and efficient laser printer, Weissenberg sounds like a noisy ink jet printer, droplets of ink saturating the page.

IMO of course.

Of course, Argerich is my favorite Liszt B Minor, but she's not the only recording I'll love.

Ozan Marsh has a great one, actually.

I've discovered a new solo piano piece by Liszt.

Liszt's Oratorio 'Die Legende von der Heiligen Elisabeth' is generally considered to be one of Liszt's weaker large scale works, and i've found it quite dull the first couple times i've listened to it - despite some glorious moments. Of course, i'm going to withold judgement there because it is highly programmatic and i've not listened to it with that in mind, and I certainly haven't come close to digested all 2-3 hours of it.

The orchestral opening is surely one of the highlights of the Oratorio.



Liszt, in his typically masterful manner, transcribed this for the piano. To my ears, the result is a gorgeous solo piano piece that deserves to be performed with regularity.

Gorgeous transcription performed by the inimitable Cyprien Katsaris.

I've recently bought Krystian Zimerman's recording of him performing and conducting the Chopin piano concertos. His interpretation of the orchestra part turns it into a new piece for me. I'd reccomend you take a listen

Browsing youtube, I ran across a midi version of Liszt's Toccata in Am that was accurate and....dreadful. Here is Mark Salman playing the piece. Much, much much better. (I believe this is Gooddogs teacher, is it not?)