Ben Broadbent | Richmond, Surrey, England | 11/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not sure I can add much to what others have written. I particularly recommend the Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude. Wonderfully poignant. I bought the first disc soon after it was first released, on its own, in the late 1980s. Some years later someone told me, when I asked why I hadn't seen Stephen Hough around for a while, that he had become a monk! I don't know if that's remotely true. But God would like this rendition too, I think."
Rhapsodie espagñole
Robert J. Sullivan Jr. | Chicago, IL USA | 11/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"(Review of the 1988 disc that makes up half this collection)This is a stunner - some of the best Liszt playing I have heard. The rollicking aragonesca of the "Rhapsodie" inspires Hough to alpine feats of prestidigitation. I laughed with astonishment when I heard it. But for all of his super-pianism, his hallmark is control and refinement of tone. He's very much in the Earl Wild mold. Like Wild, his playing can verge at times on the precious as he strives for too delicate an effect. We never forget, however, that a unique intellect is at work. Our few misgivings pale beside music-making of this stature."
Superb
Robert J. Sullivan Jr. | 05/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The album contains reissues of two different Liszt recordings, one from 1988 and one from 1992. The later disc is devoted to pieces from Liszt's final years; it is gratifying to finally hear this aphoristic, visionary music performed by a major artist. The 1988 disc contains "mainstream" Liszt, including a reading of the Spanish Rhapsody that is as incendiary as any on record. (In a conversation, Stephen Hough didn't exactly disown this performance, but he attributed some of its exuberance to an "overly enthusiastic" producer.) Hough has become one of the most fascinating pianists on the planet, and the album would be irresistible even without its bargain price."
Absolutely stunning
Robert J. Sullivan Jr. | 02/03/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Hough plays Liszt's virtuoso pieces with the sort of demonic drive which would make Martha Argerich jealous. Not only is the music offered here superlative, but so also is the performance. The Mephisto rendition doesn't quite have the devilish edge of, say, Mikhail Pletnev's version, but instead Hough chooses to use more pedal for an altogether different effect. The performances of Tarantella, the Dante Sonata and the Spanish Rhapsody leave me in no doubt that Hough is one of the top virtuoso pianists of the day. If you like Liszt's solo piano music, this superb double-disc will not disappoint you. Also check out some of Hough's other gems, like his York Bowen and César Franck CDs, both on London's Hyperion label."