The knowledgeable Deryk Barker writes:

>Speaking of the sonata, two historical recordings stand supreme for me:
>orowitz's 1932 and Barere's 1947 (?), the latter in mediocre sound but
>a stunning reading.

I agree wholeheartedly on the 1932 Horowitz recording of the Sonata --
it is a must have.  Horowitz's later recording of the work finds him
sounding like a different, and lesser, artist.  I never quite saw what
attracted people to Barere's reading but I have not heard it in years
and will now give it another try.  I remember a limpidly beautiful
Liebestraum by Barere on the same Vox LP.

Other B minor Sonatas I return to often are Geza Anda's (Testament),
Peter Katin's (label escapes me), Lazar Berman's (Melodiya LP - a lovely
reading by an artist too often dismissed as a mere technician) and perhaps
my favorite of the bunch, Emil Gilels' on RCA.

Various Liszt recordings which linger in my memory are Rachmaninov's
Second Hungarian Rhapsody, Peter Katin's Decca recital with the Dante
Sonata and Six Consolations, Evgeny Mogilevsky's Liszt/Busoni Ad Nos
Fantasy and Fugue, Shura Cherkassky's Totentanz, Zimmerman's and Richter's
recordings of the two concertos, Raymond Lewenthal's Norma Fantasy and
Hexameron, Lazar Berman's Annees de Pelerinage, Louis Kentner's Hungarian
Rhapsodies and several handfuls of works recorded by Gunnar Johansen.
And by all means beg, borrow or steal the Two St. Francis Legends played
by Ervin Nyiregyhazi.  They are truly stunning examples of the art of
piano playing from an artist who could be wildly variable.  The terrible
sound only adds to the other-worldly quality of the performances.  They
will haunt you for a long time.

Ray Osnato