Looking for Liszt’s major piano/orchestra works at budget price? You can’t do better than these 1990 recordings. The two concertos and Hungarian Fantasy prove ideal showcases for Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s glittering technique, stylish panache, and red-blooded temperament. The Totentanz stands out for its roof-raising glissandos, seamless transitions between variations, and unusual attention to bass lines. Decca’s opulent, full-bodied engineering does full justice to Charles Dutoit’s energetic, strongly projected, and not too subtle orchestral support (note the blaring brass in the Hungarian Fantasy’s final section). Minimum cost and maximum entertainment value: how can you lose? Buy this disc. [2/16/2007]
