Search - Franz Liszt, St. Petersberg Philharmonic Orchestra :: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Liszt: Sonata in B Minor

Rhapsodic Tchaikovsky And Liszt From Fazil Say

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, this is a rather unique coupling of Tchaikovsky's and Liszt's scores, but one which is unquestionably memorable. Say offers a fresh, rhapsodic approach to both scores, tending to emphasize the melodic lines instead of technical pyrotechnics. Both have to be among the most lyrical, as well as passionate, performances of either work ever recorded. Yuri Temirkanov and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic admirably accompany Say in a vibrant, lyrcial performance of the concerto's orchestral score. Whether Say's superb performances of both works surpass earlier accounts from the likes of Argerich and Richter, to name but a few, is another question. Yet this CD is a worthy acquistion to your classical CD collection."

Explosive & Vibrant Performances

Scriabinmahler | UK | 11/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This must be one of the most exciting and powerful performances of Tchaikovsky's Concerto No.1 in recent decades. The phenomenally gifted Turkish pianist, Fazil Say gives incredibly dynamic and vibrant account of Tchaikovsky concerto and Liszt Bm Sonata both. The stature and maturity of his playing is comparable to the Russian masters. His tone ranging from massive and explosive fortissimo to ethereal pianissimo. What impressed me most is the fresh imagination and lyricism he injects into the both works. St.Petersburg PO's playing, under Temirkanov, is equally brilliant and powerful."

Very good Tchaikovsky, superb Liszt from Say

Mete Ibanoglu | Ankara, Turkey | 06/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me begin by stating that I'm not a newcomer to both of the works on the CD or to Say's recordings. On to the review...

The first piano concerto by Tchaikovsky is a very popular work and thus has been recorded extensively by many. Over the last 2 years I have bought some different accounts of this work and after many repeated listenings to each of those, I have come to accept that Emil Gilels owns Tchaikovsky First. But this does not mean that Say doesn't deliver. On the contrary, he has a surprisingly fresh view on a very popular piece and no one should be without this recording. Even for the concerto alone, this CD is a spectacular buy.



But the real reason I chose to buy this CD, is the Liszt Sonata. For the last 3 months or so, I have been on a frenzy to listen to every Liszt recording I could lay my hands on. Naturally, I have the foremost recordings by Argerich, Horowitz, Richter, Gilels, etc and I listened to them repeatedly with a score. The reason I decided to write a review for this CD stems from another view here on Amazon.com. I just couldn't accept the way Dan Davis discarded the Liszt Sonata on this disc. Sure, there are many superb accounts already. I could say without thinking that Argerich's account is the best I have listened so far, but that's just taste. I could also say that this version is a lot better than Richter's any recording I have listened so far. (Mind that I have some historical recordings by Richter too.) Argerich, richter, Arrau, Gilels are all very important pianists and I have infinite respect for their work. The problem is that just because they are so important doesn't mean that their work receives a dogmatic status. All I'm saying that this recording is so good that one just can NOT discard it the way Dan Davis did in his review when comparing to other recordings by better known artists.



Having said all that, I'd recommend the first time listeners to buy Argerich's debut recital on DG for the Liszt Sonata and any version by Gilels for the Tchaikovsky. After those, this is a must."