Liszt: Eine Faust-Symphonie in drei Charakterbildern S. 108 (1854) [1880 version]

🔴 LIVE RECORDING at the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Hungarian National Choir
cond: Zoltán Kocsis
tenor solo: András Molnár
This recording combines the Chorus Mysticus (written in 1857) with the 12 measures of additional music in the Gretchen movement appended by Liszt towards the end of his life. It is one of the most critical milestones in 19th-century music before Wagner's Tristan and one of the supreme symphonic masterpieces of all time. Note: The audio here was recorded with equipment deathly obsolete, even for 90's standards. To compound matters, it was transferred from a worn-out cassette tape, so apologies for the occasionally abysmal quality. I hope the performance makes up for it. Andrew Wright from the channel 'alkanliszt' helped me with the noise reduction four years ago, so I would like to hereby give him a belated thank you.

[@Kris9kris]

TIMESTAMPS:
I. Faust: 0:00
II. Gretchen 25:58
III. Mephistopheles: 44:12
(Chorus Mysticus) 59:53

[@ruramikael]

SO far amazing (I'am halfway through the 1st movement). It must be released on a CD!

[@ruramikael]

Perfectly paced 2nd movement as well.

[@ruramikael]

Molnar's vibrato is too much sadly.

[@Kris9kris]

Agreed wholeheartedly. He makes too much of a point of going for a heldentenor interpretation, and it's completely incongruous, in my opinion, with the rest of the piece. But even with a Wagnerian bent in mind, that dreaded wobble is just too heavy-handed, as you said. You know the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. I think the rest of the performance sans Chorus Mysticus makes up for it, though. This is one of those compositions (like the b-minor Sonata) in which if you don't get the pacing and the tempi right, it shatters into a million pieces (hence why none of the famous performances of this symphony convinced me thus far, e.g. Bernstein, Solti, Noseda, Masur, etc...)

[@ruramikael]

@@Kris9kris Bernstein is good, but too slow Gretchen movement. My favourite is Dorati. I don't care about the others.