Search - Liszt, Watts :: Double Fforte: Piano Works

Amazing virtuosity at expression's expense

David W. Madeira | Nashville, TN USA | 04/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Liszt is a master on two levels: on one hand, being one of the first true "virtuoso" pianists, his writing revolutionized piano performance technically. On the other hand, he never sacrificed beauty for difficulty. However, this presents a problem for today's peformers, and the great recordings HAVE to master both aspects of Liszt's writing.



Taking these into account, Andre Watts' recording on this CD is ALMOST perfect. Technically, it is flawless, and truly something to be marveled at. Musically, however, I find it to be a little lacking. This can be overlooked to a degree in the Transcendental Etudes--like Paganini before him, Liszt wrote these with technical performance foremost in mind. With an almost reckless use of scales and trills, it is clear that Liszt wasn't including those for the sake of aesthetic beauty. And he is justified in that for those pieces, and Watts delivers accordingly. However, in a piece like "Un Sospiro" the difficulty is a secondary element. The crossing of the hands is not for show--it is because it is the only way to pull off the lilting melody over relentlessly cascading arpeggios in the bass. Thus, the difficulty serves the aesthetics as its prime function. Watts' performance of that piece and others on the CD fails to do justice to its beauty.



Overall, if you're using this CD as a teaching tool, you will not be disappointed. The recording quality is great and the accuracy is perfect. But if you are listening to appreciate the beauty of Liszt's writing, you will probably find better recordings elsewhere."