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Liszt: Complete Paganini Etudes

Hyperion UK

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1. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 1 in G minor
2. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 2 in E flat major
3. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 3 in G sharp minor 'La Campanella'
4. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 4 in E major
5. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 5 in E major
6. Paganini Etudes (6), for piano (Grandes Études de Paganini), S. 141 (LW A173): No. 6 in A minor
7. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 1 in G minor
8. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 2 in E flat major
9. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 3 in A flat minor
10. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 4
    II in E major
11. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 5 in E major
12. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 6 in A minor
13. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 1 in G minor (second version incorporating a s
14. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 4
    I in E major
15. Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini (6), for piano, S. 140 (LW A52): No. 5 in E major (alternative text)
16. Mazeppa I, for piano, S. 138 (LW A172)
17. Technische Studien (68 études in 3 books), for piano, S. 146 (LW A242): No. 62, Sprünge mit der Tremolo-Begleitung

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Enjoyment of technically challenging music

Like Paganini's 24 Caprices for solo violin and other virtuoso works influenced by Paganini, these pieces are best to listen to if you have an idea of the difficulty of these pieces. If you enjoy the complexity of these etudes and have not heard the Paganini Caprices, I suggest you listen to them.

The first fifteen tracks are very similar to each other. Tracks 7-12 are very similar to the corresponding track in 1-6. In almost all of the first fifteen tracks, you can hear the Caprice which inspired each track. In tracks 1 and 7, the opening is similar to that of the Paganini's 5th Caprice in A minor. Though after that, the similarity ends. Tracks 2 and 8 are based on Paganini's 17th Caprice in E flat major. Tracks 4 and 10 are based on Paganini's 1st Caprice in E major. Tracks 5 and 9 are based off of Paganini's 9th Caprice in E major. The last two tracks bear little resemblance to any of Paganini's Caprices.

As I play the viola, it is somewhat difficult for me to understand the difficulty of these pieces for the piano. However, when Liszt wrote these pieces, his objective was to make virtuoso pieces on the level of Paganini's mastery of the violin. I have not listened to these pieces, the Paganini Caprices, or some of Rachmaninioff's pieces for the emotion behind them, but rather to enjoy the pure complexity of these pieces. I can not say much more about them as I am not very well versed with the piano, but I enjoyed them as much as the Paganini Caprices as performed by Itzhak Perlman.

A Must for Anyone who Loves Liszt Etudes

If you're familiar with Liszt Etudes and interested in going deeper, this is a great disc and a must for your collection. However, it's more a pianist's disc than a listener's disc, recorded to show other pianists how much can be done with these notoriously difficult pieces. For the listener who is not necessarily interested in hearing all the different versions/styles/variations of each piece, I highly recommend Freddy Kempf's recording of the Transcendentale etudes (also reviewed on Amazon).

technically ok, but not great music

I give Dr. Howard loads of credit that she well-deserves for her extraordinairy feats in the piano world. However, this particular CD, in my opinion, is a poor reflection of Romantic/Dramatic/Emotional Liszt piano music (The disc is complete though!). The music produced in the recording sounds like an above average grad student with excellent technique, but little, strange emotion (very mature, but small in quantity and strange in quality). Try Caroline Oltmanns' recording of the Paganini Etude in E flat Major...then you'll see what I mean when I say Romantic/Dramatic/Emotional Liszt music. In addition, Dr. Oltmanns' interpretation, technically, is far superior as well.

Almost not humanly possible

I almost cried listening to the original verions of the Paganini studies, I'm a piano major in college and I just can't see how these things can be played. The original versions are without a question among the most difficult works in piano literature, and they are virtually NEVER played in concert. This CD will show you why. Leslie Howard is superhuman, and his recordings on this CD of the more familiar later versions of the Paganini studies are my preference over the 3 other sets of them that I have on CD.

Liszt takes on Paganini

The "Liszt of the violin" meets the "Paganini of the piano" (!) That said, you'll love the power of this disc, if it's power you love. Leslie Howard is more than up to the challenge of playing music from two demonic titans. Long live Liszt, Paganini, and Howard.