MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Liszt: Piano Music: An introduction

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the world's largest recording series by a solo artist. Leslie Howard took 14 years to complete the series, starting in 1985 and releasing the final volume in September 1999.

Leslie Howard's recordings of Liszt's complete piano music, on 95 CDs, is one of the monumental achievements in the history of recorded music. Remarkable as much for its musicological research and scholarly rigour as for Howard's Herculean piano playing, this survey has been invaluable to serious lovers of Liszt.

Now, as an introduction to the series and a perfect starting point for anyone beginning to explore this fascinating and hugely influential composer, Hyperion present's a two-disc selection from the series. To give an overview of such a long and prolific composing life and a uniquely eclectic and varied repertoire, this programme takes six of the most important characteristics of Liszt's work and offers thirty-nine pieces that exemplify them. The result gives a flavour of the richness and diversity of Liszt's piano music.

The range of Leslie Howard's sympathies is evident here, from the flamboyant showpieces of Liszt's youth to the challenging and prophetic works of his old age. This is the perfect introduction to Liszt, one that goes well beyond simply presenting his most popular works.