Search - Franz Liszt, Leslie Howard :: Liszt: Complete Paganini Etudes

Almost not humanly possible

Daniel Brown | Richmond, VA United States | 11/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

This CD is a "Super Phenomenal Recording!"

Daniel Brown | 03/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every Paganini Etude in the "Leslie Howard" recording is very brilliant in every way. Leslie always produces very bold, rich tone of every note that he plays. It is always very "Grandios". When I first listened to this recording, I was very stunned because of the incredible rage and intensity that Leslie Howard was able to produce, while at the same time it sounds as if he has no problem with any type of technical difficulty with any of the Etudes. These pieces are truly one of world's most difficult pieces, but obviously "The Great Leslie Howard" has definitely surpassed all of that. Leslie Howard is truly, at least to me, the next "Real Liszt" especially mainly since he has learned and recorded every single Liszt piano work that there is. I truly believe that Leslie Howard is one of the greatest pianists' in the world of all of time."

A Must for Anyone who Loves Liszt Etudes

Peter L. Jaeger | London, UK | 09/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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)."