Search - Franz Liszt, Vladimir Feltsman :: Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor

Warm

David Saemann | 03/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only recently reviewed a CD of the Liszt Sonata by Barbara Nissman, which was excellent. Vladimir Feltsman's rendition is rather different. He takes a minute and a half longer to get through the piece than Nissman does. The slower sections reveal much interpretive warmth and insight. Nissman has a wider dynamic range, but Feltsman is loud enough when required. Feltsman will have you believing that Liszt is a lyrical genius, not just a composer of virtuoso stunts. Feltsman is a master of the Sonata's harmonies and chromaticism. The three Petrarch Sonnets are simply wonderful. They receive readings full of emotion and color. The Second one, as usual, is the most memorable. And St Francis Preaching to the Birds comes across as a proto-modernist composition, with much literary detail. The CD was recorded in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University in 1988, where CBS made a number of fine sounding recordings--and this one is no exception. I was very happy to add this disc to my Liszt collection."