Advertisement

LISZT: FIVE CONCERT STUDIES; “CONSOLATIONS”; “REMINISCENCES DE...

Share

LISZT: FIVE CONCERT STUDIES; “CONSOLATIONS”; “REMINISCENCES DE DON JUAN.” Jorge Bolet, piano. London 417 523-2 (compact disc). By transferring previously issued material from several LPs, London has come up with a generous, 65-minute portrait of Bolet as an extraordinarily supple and thoughtful Lisztian. Throughout the program, the pianist banks his virtuosic fire in the service of the score. Bolet is a master who invariably selects the broad, tasteful statement over the obvious, flamboyant gesture. In “Gnomenreigen,” he provides velocity without affectation. The lyrical statement of “Un Sospiro” flows unimpeded by bathos. And “Reminiscences de Don Juan” evolves into an homage to Mozart’s opera and a ruminative tribute to the demonic spirit as well. The masters are both analog and digital in origin, but London’s sonics give no cause for complaint.

Advertisement