LISZT: piano Recital
Après une Lecture de Dante, Valse Oubliée, Mephisto Waltz, Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, Ballade No.2, Andante Lagrimoso.
Leif Ove Andsnes, p-EMI 57002-73:52
As Liszt piano pieces are built with a strong architecture and stuffed with many artifacts and artifices, virtuosos are tempted to take them for granted. Andsnes does just the opposite. Instead of showing off arpeggios and scales he prefers to underline an atmosphere and to explore sounds by letting them bloom from their depth. His well-balanced program recital portrays the intellectual and introspective side of Liszt who wrote these pieces as a visionary, using advanced harmonies that link with the future. Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth illustrates perfectly this tendency. Andsnes takes his time to listen to the pianissimos, makes the piano sing the melodies very simply and respects their intimacies. His Dante is less complicated than Arrau’s (Philips 411 055) and does not demonstrate Ránki’s magisterial grandeur (Denon 7547). Andsnes’s interpretation is not a tour de force but an artistic vision that has left far behind any finger considerations. His Ballade reveals more an accomplishment than a description. Each of the other pieces reflects its metaphoric inspirations, lacking maybe in the demonic aspect but winning in dramatic credibility.
No aggressiveness, just the story. This disc is one of the greatest Liszt recitals ever for those who look beyond mere virtuosity.
VILLEMIN
Published in American Record Guide, Vol. 64, N. 4