LOUIS LORTIE, PIANO, WITH GEORGE PEHLIVANIAN CONDUCTING THE RESIDENTIE ORCHESTRA THE HAGUE; Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra, Vol. 2 (Chandos)***
LOUIS LORTIE, PIANO, WITH GEORGE PEHLIVANIAN CONDUCTING THE RESIDENTIE ORCHESTRA THE HAGUE; Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra, Vol. 3 (Chandos)***
Pianist Louis Lortie is an impressive interpreter of Liszt. His performances are flawlessly immaculate. He plays with fire and passion, and because of his innate musicality, he never lets the technical displays get in the way of the music.
Lortie is an exquisitely expressive pianist, and it's this quality that puts these two CDs in a special category among the numerous recordings of Liszt's piano and orchestra works on the market today.
Among the well-known pieces on these two albums, Lortie's performance of the Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 certainly rank among the finest. He plays with a potency and vitality that captures the broad, sweeping gestures of the music perfectly. But at the same time, there is subtlety in his playing; every phrase is carefully nuanced and shaped — dramatic and intense without being overblown, as Liszt all too often comes across with lesser pianists.
The "Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes" and the "Totentanz," both on vol. 2, are marvelously spectacular and vivid. Lortie plays these two works with a natural flair that's dazzling.
Among the lesser-known works on these albums, the "Malediction" for piano and string orchestra (vol. 2) and the "Concerto pathetique" (vol. 3) are especially noteworthy. Lortie plays the former with sensitivity and feeling, bringing out the lyricism of the piece beautifully. And he plays the latter with a fervent urgency that is compelling and forceful.
Vol. 2 also contains the grandiose "De profundis," and vol. 3 has the recently restored Concerto No. 3.
The Residentie Orchestra plays with enthusiasm and spirit, and under the baton of George Pehlivanian, offers Lortie a solid and balanced accompaniment.
Both CDs are highly recommended.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com