Search - Liszt, Masur, Leipzig Gewandhaus :: Symphonic Poems 1

"Faust Symphony", Franz Listz - Kurt Masur, conductor

John F. Hinck | Cape Girardeau, Missouri United States | 04/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have had the cassette version of this recording for years and have longed for a good CD version to become available. After trying several other recordings I must say Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchestra have made, to my ears, the best of the best recordings I have heard. The ambiance and lyricism keep me listening when other recordings would find me skipping major sections! I'm not a musicologist but know what I like. Apologies to the tenor, I've not remembered his name, but his voice and performance are absolutely first rate; the choir is excellent; the organist (Bernstein?), with kudos to the recording engineers, put out a sound that gets me to replay the final bars at least twice. My opinion? - Masur and the folks from Leipzig have topped them all. Their performance and this recording are thrilling!"

A very good intro to Liszt at a good price.

John F. Hinck | 09/10/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Masur plays the best rendition of Hamlet available. He captures Liszt's intense musical portrait with full blooded emotion. The music weeps, sighs, moans and snaps into rage - all reflections of the tortured soul of Hamlet. Heroide Funebre also paints a dark and harsh portrait of War and the heroes that fall in the bloody process. Unlike Haitink, Masur plays it at the composer's correct tempo and reaches greater climaxes, revealing the brutality of War. The Nocturnal Procession is another masterpiece that unfortunately receives little attention in the concert hall yet you'll hear it here, played nicely along with a fine rendition of Hungaria. Other pieces like; Liszt's famous Faust Symphony, Prometheus and more are played with conviction. Even though these latter pieces receive better performances by other conductors this CD offers alot of great music at a great price."