Mikael Rasmusson responds to Ed Zubrow:

>>I'd welcome recommendations of discs that are essential.
>
>As for Leslie Howard, I can recommend his recordings in general.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with Howard's complete cycle of Liszt's piano
music on Hyperion.  He has received some knocks from reviewers, but I
think that's because he's identified as Liszt's "Quantity" representative
in that his complete series for Hyperion is more complete than any other
ever recorded.

A local Hastings here in Albuquerque had for some time a great many
volumes of the Howard series for sale at ridiculously low prices.
I snapped those volumes up and have not been disappointed.

Having said the above, I do feel that there are some pianists who surpass
Howard.  Lazar Berman's 2-cd set of "Annees de pelerinage" is wonderful
as is the set from Brendel/Kocsis on Philips.  Cziffra has a big reputation
for Liszt's piano music and is certainly a provocative representative.
Earl Wild has two recordings for Ivory Classics that are worthy, and I'd
get any Ernst Levy and Sergio Fiorentino discs that are available.

For the Sonata in B minor, Richter on Philips, Argerich on DG, and Arrau
on Philips can't be beat.  Horowitz and Rubinstein are also worth checking
out.

Jorge Bolet has a giant Liszt reputation, well deserved.  There's a
box-set from Decca and a Transcendental Etudes disc from Ensayo.

Jeno Jando is at his best in his Naxos/Liszt recordings.  I love his
Hungarian Rhapsodies, and his "Annees" isn't far behind.

There are many more excellent Liszt recordings.  Overall, I'd start with
"Annees", an incisive travelogue of Liszt's journey through Europe with
his love interest at that time, then move on to the Hungarian Rhapsodies.
Both bodies of works are loaded with familiar pieces often played
separately at concert recitals and on record.

Sorry to be so late in my response to Ed's request.  I thought I had
posted the response a few days ago, but Mikael's posting woke me up to
the fact that I left my posting in "Drafts".  Maybe I should have left
it there.  I'm a late-comer to Liszt in that I couldn't abide his music
until about a year ago when some internal lightbulb went on.  But I kept
reading about him and varying the pianists I was listening to.  Actually,
it was Brendel's Switzerland Book from Annees that got me going; his
William Tell opening movement was my doorway to Liszt.

Don Satz
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