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