Anyone looking for a collection of
Liszt's complete works for piano and orchestra performed with power, panache, and aplomb and recorded in clear, colorful sound need look no further. This 2006 compilation of recordings made between 2000 and 2002 by Canadian virtuoso
Louis Lortie with George Pehlivanian leading the
Residentie Orchestra The Hague contains essentially every work the Hungarian pianist/composer wrote for the combination, from his extremely well-known First and Second piano concertos and Totentanz through his far less well-known Malédiction for piano and string orchestra and transcription of
Schubert's Wandererfantasie for piano and orchestra to his nearly unknown Concerto pathetique and Grande fantaisie symphonique on themes from
Berlioz's Lélio, plus five other lesser known works. From the sound of his playing on this recording,
Lortie is a muscular pianist with a super-virtuoso technique, a commanding personality, and a gift for floating a long legato line, all prerequisites for a successful
Liszt player, and his performances here are as convincing as possible, with poetic interpretations and lots of technical fireworks. The likewise nearly unknown outside of Europe
Residentie Orchestra The Hague performs with sparkle and brilliance under Lebanese-American conductor George Pehlivanian. Chandos' digital sound is big, bright, and full. While there have been better performances of
Liszt's extremely well-known works for piano and orchestra,
Lortie, Pehlivanian, and the
Residentie are perforce the first choice for works like the Fantasia on a theme from Beethoven's Ruins of Athens.