A Portrait of Tamas Vasary [4 CD set]

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LISZT / BRAHMS / DEBUSSY
A Portrait of Tamas Vasary [4 CD set]
Tamas Vasary (piano)

[ Brilliant Classics / 4 CD Box Set ]

Release Date: Tuesday 20 March 2012

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In 1962 Stephen Plaistow wrote of the Liszt E flat Polonaise on this set that 'the playing of the E major
Polonaise is outstanding: it has bravura, exquisite timing and poise, colour, delicacy, plenty of rhythmic
character and an air of ebullient pomp that is quite irresistible.' You might expect such ebullience from Vásáry in the music of his fellow-countryman Liszt, especially given his reputatation, cultivated and strengthened over decades, of specialism in a composer whose refined and elusive idiom requires such immersive study to escape the confines of virtuosity and even approach the expressive heart of the novel structures and evanescent textures exhibited by the B minor Sonata and the Légende No.2, of St Francis walking on the water. Such qualities will likely make a fine Debussyan of a pianist, too, and so, we may be unsurprised to learn, from the pages of Gramophone again, that the Suite bergamasque has 'the right blend of chaste gravity and sensuous charm' and Clair de lune 'is a model of style'. What may come as more of a surprise to those unaware of Vásáry's eminence over half a century now as pianist, conductor and more importantly musician, is the vigorous authority of his Brahms, ideally set off here by the stamping energy of the two comparatively early variation sets of Op.21, the Op.35 Variations and the more heartfelt Klavierstücke Op.76. These recordings are from much later, the digital era indeed, but they reflect the promise felt by Stephen Plaistow, in 1967 this time, that 'As one listens to his playing one senses at all times the intelligence and taste that lie behind it. The future of fine piano-playing seems assured while there are young pianists like him and Vladimir Ashkenazy around with maybe 40 years of playing ahead of them: a splendid thought!

Tracks:

Brahms: A Portrait of Tamas Vásáry
1. Variations On An Original Theme In D, Op. 21 No. 1 17:54
2. Variations On a Hungarian Song In D, Op. 21 No. 2 06:11
3. Variations On a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35: Book 1: Thema. Variations I-XIV 11:53
4. Variations On a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35: Book 2: Variation XIII: Un poco più andante 09:22
5. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 1: Capriccio In F-Sharp Minor 03:50
6. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 2: Capriccio In B Minor 03:18
7. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 3: Intermezzo In A-Flat 01:57
8. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 4: Intermezzo In B-Flat 02:06
9. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 5: Capriccio In C-Sharp Minor 03:15
10. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 6: Intermezzo In A 03:33
11. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 7: Intermezzo In A Minor 03:19
12. Klavierstück, Op. 76 No. 8: Capriccio In C 03:48

Debussy: A Portrait of Tamas Vásáry
1. Suite Bergamasque: Prélude: Moderato 03:58
2. Suite Bergamasque: Menuet: Andantino 03:27
3. Suite Bergamasque: Clair de lune: Andante très expressif 05:14
4. Suite Bergamasque: Passepied: Allegretto ma non troppo 03:27
5. Danse (Tarentelle Styrienne): Allegretto 04:24
6. Deux Arabesques: Andantino con moto 03:43
7. Deux Arabesques: Allegretto Scherzando 03:10
8. Pour Le Piano: Prélude: Allez animé et très rythmé 03:59
9. Pour Le Piano: Sarabande: Avec une élégance grave et lente 04:41
10. Pour Le Piano: Toccata: Vif 03:44
11. La Plus Que Lente (Valse) 03:42
12. L'Isle Joyeuse (Modéré et très souple) 05:40
13. Masques (Très vif et fantasque) 04:46

Liszt: A Portrait of Tamas Vásáry
1. Hungarian Rhapsody, S. 244 No. 6 In D-Flat 07:07
2. Valse Impromptu 05:48
3. Consolation, S. 172 No. 2 In E.: Un poco più mosso 02:54
4. Consolation, S. 172 No. 3 In D-Flat: Lento, placido 04:16
5. Concert Paraphrase On Rigoletto, S. 434, After Verdi's Opera 06:48
6. Grande Étude De Paganini, S. 141 No. 3 In G Sharp-Minor, 'La Campanella' 04:37
7. Hungarian Rhapsody, S. 244 No. 15 In A Minor 'Rákóczy March' 04:53
8. Légende, S. 175 No. 2: St. Francis De Paule Walking On The Water 08:46
9. Études d'Exécution Transcendante D'Après Pagannini, S. 140 No. 2 Octaves 04:49

Liszt: A Portrait of Tamas Vásáry
1. Piano Sonata in B Minor 29:00
2. Polonaise No. 2 in E 08:57
3. 'Don Juan' Fantasy 17:34