Very interesting recording ! Haven’t heard one quite like it before ! I know Howard likes to “stick to the score” very rigidly which is completely right considering it was all Liszts intentions why change what he wrote ! Great rendition !
Surely it's more accurate to say that Howard studies every note and marking in the score in depth to help him realize Liszt's intentions? I don't hear any "very rigidly" in this performance. And what a beautiful instrument!
Liszt was recognized as the supreme interpreter of Beethoven's keyboard works of his time. I believe Howard plays the Sonate as a post-Beethoven work, with great attention to its remarkable structure. We are so used to hearing this piece interpreted in extremely "Romantic" fashion -- even to the extent of imposing various "hidden" scenarios on it -- that it comes as a shock to hear it played as "pure" music. But I do realize that people are accustomed to hearing the Sonate pulled about and subjectified much, much more. I find this performance a really fresh breath of air.@@fa-la-mi-mi-re
Howard's Liszt recordings should be all over RUclips! The 1860 Steinway sounds a lot better than most modern Steinways to me at least, reminds me of by C. Bechstein upright a bit :)
And to my ears this performance is more persuasive than the one Howard recorded early on in the Hyperion series -- both his interpretation and the sonorities of the instrument he's playing. A terrific, ear-and-eye-opening rendition... who knew this overplayed masterpiece could ever come up seeming so fresh? UPDATE: I've returned to Howard's earlier reading with a greater appreciation for its positive qualities. I'm very grateful, however, that we now have this later version on this lovely instrument!
This is so funny omg. I’ll be uploading Artur Cimirro’s performance to TheExarion in about 2 weeks, which I would also say is an *actually* accurate reading of the Sonata - even more than Howard’s imo, although tbh I do like the colors that Howard brings out better. The swelling in his crescendos, for instance, feel much more present and intense than Cimirro’s. Great post!! Thank you for this :)
@@TheModicaLisztHow is playing Lento ASSAI like quarter = 60 “true to the score”? Frederic Lamond said that this piece should last around 38 minutes and that this is the timing that Liszt himself advocated for. And then we have Leslie Howard, “true to the score”, who plays it in… 24/26 minutes?
@@toucc9638 Howard’s accuracy to the score is much more complicated than playing a faster tempo. I highly recommend his lecture on it here on RUclips, where he goes in depth about stuff like misunderstanding liszts articulation, common performance mistakes etc.
@@toucc9638 Liszt was particularly fastidious when it came to his published scores being correct. A lot more so than his contemporaries, including Chopin and Brahms. Why should we not treat a Liszt score with the same rigour we would treat a Beethoven score?
Wow, first person to play the entire sonata as a cohesive piece. Everyone else has a distinct split at/after the andante sostenuto, its almost like they want to treat whats after the andante sostenuto as an afterthought
Yes, Howard's grasp of the shape of the Sonata is extraordinary... "cohesive" is the accurate word. And the miracle is that he doesn't sacrifice variety of emotion and color in the interest of that cohesiveness; the instrument really, really supports him in this.
I haven't yet been able to listen to this full recording, but it is very interesting (and I mean that in a good way)! In many ways, it is much less "romantic" than most people would play it today. We often think of Liszt (rightfully) as an innovator, a musical radical. However, it's worth remembering that this piece was dedicated to Robert Schumann, who was still alive when it was written and published (1853 and '54 respectively), and this recording definitely fits more within the Schumann/Mendelssohn idiom in many regards. Lovely recording!
It's also worth remembering that as a pianist, Liszt was considered the pre-eminent interpreter of Beethoven's music. There is continuity with the past as well as evolution into the future in Liszt's music
In addition to this fantastic performance, the 2CD special issue of Liszt's music played on this 1860 Steinway includes a wonderful rendition of "Die Lorelei" by tenor Alessandro Maffucci and pianist Roberto Russo: ruclips.net/video/eCWM95dG7pk/видео.html
What exactly do you mean by lagging and incoherent modern performances? Are therenany specific ones you refer to, because I would really like to listen to those! Thanks for sharing this performance!
Very interesting recording. I think recordings like have value and are insightful, but I think it is a bit lame that they escape criticism through technicalities - you can’t say that they’re “wrong”. There is of course a reason hundreds of recordings take the liberties that they do with the score however, which is that, obviously, it is what more people prefer to hear. Interesting that you present this as being a recording “100% score accurate” when Leslie Howard probably just thinks of it as “how he likes it” (it isn’t 100% score accurate but if it were it might as well be midi). Glad there is a Howard recording with the sheet music :)
"Lagging incoherent 32 minute overload of music" hahaha dragging every popular concert pianist (I never like Wang's recording anyway). Definitely a better performance than Zimmerman too. I'll have to revisit Argerich's recording and see how it stands up to this one.
Liszt was very forward thinking and definitely a romantic composer but I've always understood this as a classical sonata and enjoy that Howard plays it as such
Thank you so much! I believe that piano playing is 90% logical thinking and 10% physical ability; if you really think hard about the music you’ll be able to play it how it ought to be played and sort out any issues you may have with it. I’m glad you agree with me :)
@@TheModicaLiszt Just went back to review Argerich's recording and it's still one of the better ones out there. Her coloration and dynamics are great but then again she's using the full dynamic range of a modern piano and not an 1860s one. That being said she sometimes over-pedals and the low bass in the left hand gets muddy sometimes. Too much focus on resonance I think. Howard's is probably my new favorite.
@@emmetharrigan5234 Good good! NB In mine and his opinion, this later recording is much better than his Hyperion record which is 24 minutes long and he played in two takes!
@@TheModicaLiszt I agree. I think we're just used to performances of the Sonata that push contrasts of tempo to extremes, especially the slower sections. Howard really shows the unity of the piece underneath all the surface differences.
@@TheModicaLiszt Dr. Leslie Howard is one of the greatest of the late 20th- , early 21st-century pianists. His Norma Fantasia is stupendous; his Rubinstein CD's are remarkable; and his Glazunov Prelude and Fugue Op. 62 is beyond words. I've been listening to his recordings since the late 1980s while still in high school. I was thrilled to see all of his RUclips instructional videos start showing ten years ago.
@@TheModicaLiszt You know, his Hyperion recording of the sonata is fantastic. But I think I might like this recording a little better. Thanks so much for posting. I never would have heard it otherwise.
Finally Leslie Howard time
Very interesting recording !
Haven’t heard one quite like it before !
I know Howard likes to “stick to the score” very rigidly which is completely right considering it was all Liszts intentions why change what he wrote !
Great rendition !
Surely it's more accurate to say that Howard studies every note and marking in the score in depth to help him realize Liszt's intentions? I don't hear any "very rigidly" in this performance. And what a beautiful instrument!
@@treesny Where is the music??
Liszt was recognized as the supreme interpreter of Beethoven's keyboard works of his time. I believe Howard plays the Sonate as a post-Beethoven work, with great attention to its remarkable structure. We are so used to hearing this piece interpreted in extremely "Romantic" fashion -- even to the extent of imposing various "hidden" scenarios on it -- that it comes as a shock to hear it played as "pure" music. But I do realize that people are accustomed to hearing the Sonate pulled about and subjectified much, much more. I find this performance a really fresh breath of air.@@fa-la-mi-mi-re
interesting timbre of the period instrument! thank you so much for sharing this gem of a recording hehe
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@TheModicaLiszt - Where did you get this recording? When/where was it recorded? Was it released on an album? Thanks!
@@TheOssia It was called Reminiscences and Fantasy, by the Istituto Liszt
@@TheModicaLiszt - What is the website link to it? I don't see anything online about that. Thanks again!
@@TheOssia www.discogs.com/release/16004730-Franz-Liszt-Reminiscenze-E-Fantasie-Steinway-1860
Howard's Liszt recordings should be all over RUclips! The 1860 Steinway sounds a lot better than most modern Steinways to me at least, reminds me of by C. Bechstein upright a bit :)
And to my ears this performance is more persuasive than the one Howard recorded early on in the Hyperion series -- both his interpretation and the sonorities of the instrument he's playing. A terrific, ear-and-eye-opening rendition... who knew this overplayed masterpiece could ever come up seeming so fresh? UPDATE: I've returned to Howard's earlier reading with a greater appreciation for its positive qualities. I'm very grateful, however, that we now have this later version on this lovely instrument!
This is so funny omg. I’ll be uploading Artur Cimirro’s performance to TheExarion in about 2 weeks, which I would also say is an *actually* accurate reading of the Sonata - even more than Howard’s imo, although tbh I do like the colors that Howard brings out better. The swelling in his crescendos, for instance, feel much more present and intense than Cimirro’s. Great post!! Thank you for this :)
I would have to wait until you post Cimirro’s record before I defend Leslie’s as most true to the score! 😂
@@TheModicaLisztHow is playing Lento ASSAI like quarter = 60 “true to the score”?
Frederic Lamond said that this piece should last around 38 minutes and that this is the timing that Liszt himself advocated for. And then we have Leslie Howard, “true to the score”, who plays it in… 24/26 minutes?
@@toucc9638 Howard’s accuracy to the score is much more complicated than playing a faster tempo. I highly recommend his lecture on it here on RUclips, where he goes in depth about stuff like misunderstanding liszts articulation, common performance mistakes etc.
@@jessicaeskebk5945 "Performace mistakes" just like Liszt's students and Liszt himself cared about what's in the score (they didn't)
@@toucc9638 Liszt was particularly fastidious when it came to his published scores being correct. A lot more so than his contemporaries, including Chopin and Brahms. Why should we not treat a Liszt score with the same rigour we would treat a Beethoven score?
First time listening to the whole sonata! Very intressting
One ought to listen to it more and more, it never tires!
@@TheModicaLiszt fact
Wow, first person to play the entire sonata as a cohesive piece. Everyone else has a distinct split at/after the andante sostenuto, its almost like they want to treat whats after the andante sostenuto as an afterthought
I agree totally!
Yes, Howard's grasp of the shape of the Sonata is extraordinary... "cohesive" is the accurate word. And the miracle is that he doesn't sacrifice variety of emotion and color in the interest of that cohesiveness; the instrument really, really supports him in this.
@@treesny Cogent is also a good word.
@@TheModicaLisztthat means something else
I haven't yet been able to listen to this full recording, but it is very interesting (and I mean that in a good way)! In many ways, it is much less "romantic" than most people would play it today. We often think of Liszt (rightfully) as an innovator, a musical radical. However, it's worth remembering that this piece was dedicated to Robert Schumann, who was still alive when it was written and published (1853 and '54 respectively), and this recording definitely fits more within the Schumann/Mendelssohn idiom in many regards. Lovely recording!
It's also worth remembering that as a pianist, Liszt was considered the pre-eminent interpreter of Beethoven's music. There is continuity with the past as well as evolution into the future in Liszt's music
A really good performance. Congratulations for 1000 subscribers!
Thank you!
In addition to this fantastic performance, the 2CD special issue of Liszt's music played on this 1860 Steinway includes a wonderful rendition of "Die Lorelei" by tenor Alessandro Maffucci and pianist Roberto Russo:
ruclips.net/video/eCWM95dG7pk/видео.html
finally got to hear how Howard performs the piece! will do homework while listening to this uwu
Study hard, my friend.
uwu best liszt piece for me - very dramatic. Love what Horowitz does.
Fantastic Music 🎹🎶👏
His recording in volume 9 of the Liszt series is even faster, clocking in at around 24 min. Barnstorming account which I prefer to the present one.
Bravo !
Hell yes
🦦
Howard moment
The best version by far for me!
Indeed :)
What exactly do you mean by lagging and incoherent modern performances? Are therenany specific ones you refer to, because I would really like to listen to those! Thanks for sharing this performance!
16:40
7:34
Interesting, the "sound of Steinway" has been largely unchanged since 1860! Sadly, the upper register is too reverberant nowadays.
In my honest opinion, modern Steinways are ridiculously overrated. A nice Bösendorffer surpasses about every modern Steinway I‘ve heard
@@user-fu7zf4ck9z Bechstein is good too.
@@fa-la-mi-mi-re Bechstein is the best
Very interesting recording. I think recordings like have value and are insightful, but I think it is a bit lame that they escape criticism through technicalities - you can’t say that they’re “wrong”. There is of course a reason hundreds of recordings take the liberties that they do with the score however, which is that, obviously, it is what more people prefer to hear. Interesting that you present this as being a recording “100% score accurate” when Leslie Howard probably just thinks of it as “how he likes it” (it isn’t 100% score accurate but if it were it might as well be midi). Glad there is a Howard recording with the sheet music :)
Leslie Howard is a huge advicate for playing according to the details of the score. You’re welcome :)
ruclips.net/video/nAel-mzSmts/видео.html
Is it really a restored 1860 Steinway or is it a replica?
It is original.
"Lagging incoherent 32 minute overload of music" hahaha dragging every popular concert pianist (I never like Wang's recording anyway). Definitely a better performance than Zimmerman too. I'll have to revisit Argerich's recording and see how it stands up to this one.
Liszt was very forward thinking and definitely a romantic composer but I've always understood this as a classical sonata and enjoy that Howard plays it as such
Thank you so much! I believe that piano playing is 90% logical thinking and 10% physical ability; if you really think hard about the music you’ll be able to play it how it ought to be played and sort out any issues you may have with it. I’m glad you agree with me :)
@@TheModicaLiszt Just went back to review Argerich's recording and it's still one of the better ones out there. Her coloration and dynamics are great but then again she's using the full dynamic range of a modern piano and not an 1860s one. That being said she sometimes over-pedals and the low bass in the left hand gets muddy sometimes. Too much focus on resonance I think. Howard's is probably my new favorite.
@@emmetharrigan5234 Good good! NB In mine and his opinion, this later recording is much better than his Hyperion record which is 24 minutes long and he played in two takes!
@@TheModicaLiszt just as Liszt himself had quoted, "Think ten times, play once."
I don't know if it's because of the recording, but I don't like this way of playing,Howard used to be a handsome guy (it doesn't matter, but lol)
Yeah, felt kinda rushed.
@@jessicaeskebk5945 indeed‼︎
@@jessicaeskebk5945 It isn’t rushed 🤔
@@TheModicaLiszt I agree. I think we're just used to performances of the Sonata that push contrasts of tempo to extremes, especially the slower sections. Howard really shows the unity of the piece underneath all the surface differences.
@@TheModicaLiszt Lento Assai in 60 bpm isn’t rushing?
When and where was this recorded? And is it available to purchase on CD?
Yes it is available, Reminiscenze e Fantasie on an 1860 Steinway.
@@TheModicaLiszt Thanks!
@@TheModicaLiszt Dr. Leslie Howard is one of the greatest of the late 20th- , early 21st-century pianists. His Norma Fantasia is stupendous; his Rubinstein CD's are remarkable; and his Glazunov Prelude and Fugue Op. 62 is beyond words. I've been listening to his recordings since the late 1980s while still in high school. I was thrilled to see all of his RUclips instructional videos start showing ten years ago.
@@philosophyprof4999 Yes, he is a remarkable man, and it’s a privilege to know him and learn so much from him 😅
@@TheModicaLiszt You know, his Hyperion recording of the sonata is fantastic. But I think I might like this recording a little better. Thanks so much for posting. I never would have heard it otherwise.
I don't like his interpretation. It's quite plain.
Actually sounds like a sonata, for a change...
Liszt was great at arranging other composers' tunes. Hs own compositions are mostly jangle.
ian hall
@@TheModicaLiszt Aidan Modica
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