00:00 - I. Rigoletto: G.S. 434
07:27 - II. ‎Ernani: G.S. 432
16:16 - III. Il Trovatore - Miserere: G.S. 433
24:32 - IV. I Lombardi - Salve Maria de Jérusalem: G.S. 431
30:38 - V. Aida - Danza sacra e Duetto finale: G.S. 436
42:22 - VI. Don Carlos - Cordo De Festa E Marcia Funebre: G.S. 435
50:09 - VII. Simone Boccanegra - Reminiscenses: G.S. 438

Recorded: 1971 November. The Netherlands.

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Introduced in 1913 by Chilean pianist Rosita Renard, who was already making a promising career in Europe, Claudio Arrau became a pupil under the legendary Maestro Martin Krause (Lipsia 1853-Berlin 1918), himself a former pupil of Franz Liszt, at the renowned Julius Stern Conservatory of Berlin.

After listening to the child playing, Maestro Krause is reported to have said:
"This boy shall be my masterwork!"

[ Beethoven — Czerny — Liszt — Krause — Arrau ]

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jsa
5.0 out of 5 stars great Liszt recordings
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2009
Verified Purchase
With this box set Universal Music (France) has restored to the catalogue all of the Liszt recordings Claudio Arrau made for Philips. While I would rather have had the recordings in this set sequenced as they were originally issued, and those who know Arrau's great 1969 and 1970 Liszt LP's will understand why, the fact that these recordings are once again available is cause for celebration.

Although Arrau had impressive credentials as a Liszt player - his only teacher was Martin Krause, who was a student of Liszt - and he performed many of the composer's works early in his career, he neither exploited his association with the Liszt tradition, nor did he become known as a Liszt specialist. While his Liszt interpretations must reflect technical insights passed directly from the composer to Krause and then to Arrau, it is the mythic/heroic and spiritual aspects of Liszt's music that is most evident in these recordings.

Arrau didn't begin his Liszt series for Philips until he was nearing seventy, not necessarily an auspicious age to be recording such technically challenging music; yet what emerges here is the pianist in prime form where the poet-philosopher is ultimately in charge. Even such obvious examples as the Transcendental Etudes reveal themselves under Arrau's hands as music first and technical exercises second, not because they are toned down, which they aren't, but because the pianist drills down into the musical core and that is what pours out. Indeed there are technical miracles all over the place even though many listeners won't necessarily be aware of them (just listen to the Verdi paraphrases), but displays of raw power was not what Liszt's, or for that matter any composer's music, was all about for Arrau.

Virtually every recording in this box set is exceptional - from the Sonata, which was hailed as a classic when it was first released in 1970, to the selections from Annees de Pelerinage. Les jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este glitters with shimmering colors while making a profound spiritual impact. And what a gorgeous sound Arrau's piano makes here! Arrau infuses the Sonetto del Petrarca 104 with grandeur and mines such sublime transcendance in no. 123, that the uninitiated will be forced to rethink what Liszt is all about. Listening to Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude again reminded me of the many unforgettable Arrau recitals I attended during a time when the maestro frequently programmed the Sonata, second Ballade and Les jeux d'eaux. All of this is truly desert island Liszt.

One minor caveat: since this set contains all the Liszt Arrau recorded for Philips, it includes the concerto recordings made with Colin Davis, readings which don't compare well with recordings from the pianist's earlier years -- the first concerto with Ormandy (1951) and a live performance of the A flat major concerto from 1953 with Guido Cantelli. Let me also mention that the digital remake of the Sonata from 1985, included here for the sake of completeness, doesn't improve on the 1970 effort; nor does the Mephisto Waltz, which was recorded when the maestro was 87, necessarily add to our memory of this great artist.

Given that most of these recordings were long unavailable, I would urge collectors to acquire this set while they can. I bought mine from an Amazon reseller for around $60.

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