I am sure that others will answer this post too.  The Henselt Concerto has
been recorded 3 times to my knowledge, and I have all 3 versions.  Raymond
Lewenthal recorded it in 1968 coupled with the Liszt/Lewenthal Todentanz.
Availibility anyone??

Michael Ponti recorded it the same year.  His version is on a VOx-Box
entitled "The Romantic Concerto, Vol 1".  More recently Marc-Andre Hamelin
has recorded it for Hyperion in 1993, along with Henselt's Variations de
Concert and the first 2 Alkan Concerti da Camera.

My favorite version remains the Lewenthal.  Actually, I prefer his
recordings of almost any piece to those of other pianists.  Lewenthal's LP
included a bonus disk that analyzed the Helselt Concerto, and he make quite
a to-do about how Rachmaninoff must have stolen the famous 3 notes that
begin his Prelude in c# from the Henselt Concerto.  Made sense to me.

The story that I have always read about the Concerto, is that is is
extremely difficult, in that is utilizes spans tailored to Henselt's oddly
shaped/flexible hands.  Also, it seems that the difficulties of playing the
piece cannot really be appreciated by the listener.  I guess pianists want
the audience to be aware of the tortures that they are going thru or it
isn't worth it to master the piece.

Joel Hill
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Tallahassee, FL