LISZT: “LES PRELUDES”; TWO EPISODES AFTER LENAU’S...

LISZT: “LES PRELUDES”; TWO EPISODES AFTER LENAU’S “FAUST”; TWO LEGENDS. Rotterdam Philharmonic conducted by James Conlon. Erato NUM 75293 (digital). Conlon’s ongoing Liszt survey is notable for the American conductor’s knack for communicating the solid musical value submerged beneath the bombast of much of the writing. The rhetoric of “Les Preludes” sounds almost tasteful here, while the two “Faust” episodes (the second is the familiar “Mephisto” Waltz) respect the programmatic content, while revelling in a tangy extroversion. The original orchestral versions of the two legends score points for the introspective approach and the colors Conlon evokes from his Dutch musicians. The sound is a bit muffled.