Just browsing through the eighty-odd pieces on this fantastic treasure trove
of CDs is daunting, let alone playing the lot! This time, Hyperion have really
provided the Liszt connoisseur with something to treasure for the rest of
his/her life. They tell us that only the Hungarian Rhapsodies remain, so
this is the final surprise package in the series. I will here limit myself
to the larger pieces as some of the works recorded here barely exceed a minute
in length. There are three symphonic poem transcriptions which sound so
beautifully different when heard for piano alone.
The soft sounds of 'Orpheus' are beautifully played by Howard whilst the
heroic and barnstorming 'Festklange' provides an opportunity to riot, the
end is near! Howard's 'Mazeppa' is also gloriously played with the subtle
transition from death to glorious victory superbly handled. The large number
of Album Leaves make for some fascinating listening, their short seconds
length leaving the listener almost gasping for more at times. There are also
a few alternative texts of some Hungarian Rhapsodies, first thoughts and
drafts which add to the mystery of Lisztian afterthoughts.
Another aspect that is given importance in this collection is transcriptions
of other composer's music. From the characteristic ebullience of Rossini
and Donizetti fragments to the stately majesty of Bach's Fantasy and Fugue
in G Minor, there is much to marvel and to stand in awe at. The Variations
on Rossini's 'Soirees Musicales' are particularly delightful. Sketches of
the Hungarian Marches, Polish Fragments and other tantalizingly incomplete
pieces also feature, these make up an essential part of this mindboggling
collection.
Leslie Howard's playing cannot be faulted, obviously the shorter pieces are
mere fragments and thus do not allow us to go into interpretative details
but the symphonic poems do so a short analysis of each would suffice. Mysticism
and beauty pervade 'Orpheus' with the beautiful theme subtly enunciated in
keyboard roll-offs, one is reminded of the Lisztian legend such is Howard's
commitment to the beauty and character of this work. Some critics have hailed
it as the finest tone-poem Liszt ever composed so it is good to have it in
a keyboard version.
'Festklange' is altogether more difficult to bring off, no doubt as it has
its own fascinating germ-cell repetition that suits an orchestra better than
a piano. Still, Howard is cheerfully ebullient and provides some dazzling
fingerwork especially in the difficult concluding section of the piece where
the staccato trumpets are simulated with awesome accuracy. I felt that 'Mazeppa'
is the finest of all arrangements and the various orchestral parts are quite
stunningly reproduced in a version that will take some beating! Another piece
of considerable interest is the first version of 'Kunstlerfestzung', a notable
exercise in virtuosity and completely different from the more familiar second
version.
Other titbits which enticed me greatly where the fascinating fantasies on
Rossini's 'Siege de Corinth', an obscure Raff piece, this shows the association
between two great artists and last but not least, the superb rendering of
'Pazstzor Lakodalmas, a deeply spiritual offering from such an enigmatic
composer. Fittingly, Leslie Howard ends this mammoth collection with a dazzling
interpretation of 'Grand Valse di Bravura', surely one of the finest ways
to say goodbye.
I shudder to think what editing and performance time must have been carried
out to prepare this finished product but the staggering quality of the enterprise
will only be apparent by listening to the set and appreciating the short
notes, remarkably concise but fully detailed. The recording is up to Hyperion's
usual exalted standards in this series, that is almost close to perfection
as one could get.
An outstanding cover reproduction of 'Books' by Catherine Wood sets just
the right atmosphere for an evening of listening to these evergreen piano
works, a winner from the start. Well done Leslie Howard for bringing such
joy to collectors of piano music, this will surely go down as one of the
greatest piano undertakings of the outgoing century! Fifty six down and one
to go, where are those Hungarian Rhapsodies?
Reviewer
Gerald Fenech
Performance:
Sound
Leslie
Howard: Piano 
