Franz Liszt: Harmonies du soir

"The music of the late nineteenth century would have been impossible without Franz Liszt, and yet he never wrote a piece that seems as indestructible as the masterworks of those he influenced (Tchaikovsky, Wagner, et al.). But the fervor of his invention refuses to die. For Liszt, the constant variety of musical options that arose in the creative process became part of the work itself; pieces went through as many as nine revisions, as if their composer would forever be around to take care of their changing needs. It was as a pianist that Liszt first made his reputation, and it is through his solo works for the instrument that most listeners still know him best. Nelson Freire's new recording, 'Liszt: Harmonies du Soir' (Decca), is as balanced in its choice of repertory (early, middle, late) as it is in its poised, patrician style, a suitable tribute for the composer's bicentennial year" (Russell Platt, "Classical Notes," New Yorker, 6/13&20/11).
View catalog record here!