The works on this disc embrace a wide scope of Liszt’s piano music while showcasing his multifaceted persona to its best advantage. Liszt’s mighty B minor Sonata fuses structural integrity and pyrotechincal wonders; the Romance oublié and Mosonyis Grabgeleit count among his simplest yet most affective character pieces; the brooding, insistent La Lugubre gondola No. 2 best represents Liszt’s forboding, prophetic late style; his transcription of Wagner’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde faithfully illuminates the original, perhaps to a fault; and the “Weinen, Klagen” variations tumble out from each other like restless chromatic building blocks. Claudius Tanski my not be the most colorful and heroic Liszt interpreter out there, but he plays very well, and with idiomatic perception to match. If he errs on caution’s side throughout the Sonata’s fiery sequences, Tanski gives his decisive all in the “Weinen, Klagen” variations. You won’t find a more intelligently programmed Liszt compilation on the market. Perhaps MDG should package it as “Liszt for Smarties”.
