LISZT: PIANO SONATA IN B, ETC

"Feltsman's stakes a claim as one of the finest 'central' recordings of the Liszt Sonata. He is helped in this by one of the finest piano recordings I have heard from CBS. Given that his insight into lyrical and mysterious paragraphs surpasses Ousset's, that would seem to confirm his superiority. But it has to be said that every now and again he momentarily sacrifices dramatic continuity by mannered delays (track 1 at 1'21'', track 3 at 1'35'' and 2'23'') or softenings (track 3 from 3'20'' and at 7'27'')—the last of these seriously undermines what should be the most overwhelming climax of all. I mention these things not to dissuade anyone from hearing what I am convinced is one of the finest Liszt Sonatas on record, but just as a caution that is only one of the finest. In their own very different ways Brendel and Richter offer experiences of transcendence which Feltsman does not, or does not yet, reach out for. And Peter Donohoe on his recent EMI recording carries the listener through