5 Albums to Understand Franz Liszt
- Rafael Torres
- 18 de jan.
- 8 min de leitura
Atualizado: há 6 dias
Updated: March 29, 2025
By Rafael Torres
These are some of the best albums showcasing the works of Franz Liszt. You can find them all (as of today, january, 18, 2025) on Spotify and, I believe, on any other digital music distribution platforms.
But remember, I said some. This list could easily include 100 albums. Be sure to explore recordings by Jorge Bolet, Marc-André Hamelin, Nelson Freire (who has recent releases), Arnaldo Cohen, Roberto Szidon (a Brazilian pianist who made the reference recording of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies), and Lazar Berman.
1. Nelson Freire – Liszt: Sonata in B minor
Leading our list is the most visceral interpretation of Liszt’s most visceral work. Nelson Freire seized the piece, as he always does, and almost made it his own. Never has grandeur sounded so grand. His recording of the Sonata in B minor lasts 28 minutes and 16 seconds, dates back to the early stages of his career, and leaves me at a loss for adjectives to describe it. On the original album, with the cover shown below, it was paired with Chopin’s Third Sonata, and you can find it on Spotify.
The sonata had never been, nor would ever be, recorded quite like this (1972). Not that it lacked champions: artists such as Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Jorge Bolet, Claudio Arrau, György Cziffra, and Marc-André Hamelin have all left their mark on it. With great success. Even brilliance. But Nelson Freire went further — much further.
Other recommended recordings:
Martha Argerich;
Claudio Arrau;
2. Volodos Plays Liszt (2012)
The elusive Russian pianist Arcadi Volodos is an inexplicable phenomenon. Gifted with a perplexing technique, he has recorded relatively little and often disappears for years at a time. The beginning of his career was so hyperbolically exciting that it seemed to bend space-time — especially during a recital at Carnegie Hall, in New York, in 1999, which was released on CD (just listen to the second-to-last track and the audience’s delirious reaction).
He has it all: an infallible technique that allows him to execute even the most difficult passages with ease and precision; a rare talent for "coloring" music — using pedal, articulation, and dynamic control; and impeccable taste.
I suspect something almost mystical surrounds Volodos' career, because, by now, he should be universally recognized as the greatest living pianist. And yet, he remains discreet, releasing albums only at long intervals.
This album is a recital, meaning it is not tied to a specific set of works. It mixes long (8–13 minutes) and short (3–4 minutes) pieces.
It opens with Vallée d’Obermann, the sixth piece from Années de Pèlerinage – Première Année: Suisse (Years of Pilgrimage – First Year: Switzerland – 6. The Valley of Obermann). Like many of Liszt’s pieces, it begins hesitantly, even limping along, before taking on a contemplative, then an agitated and, finally, a feverish mood—reflecting the tormented thoughts of the hero from Étienne Pivert de Senancour’s novel of the same name.
The album continues with Il Pensaroso, the second piece from Années de Pèlerinage – Deuxième Année: Italie (Years of Pilgrimage – Second Year: Italy – 2. The Thinker), inspired by Michelangelo’s famous statue.
Volodos then delivers a flawless and delicate reading of St François d'Assise: La Prédication aux Oiseaux (Saint Francis of Assisi: The Sermon to the Birds), the first of the two pieces that make up Deux Légendes (Two Legends), in which Liszt brilliantly uses the piano to mimic birdsong and agitation.
Another standout piece is Bagatelle sans Tonalité (Bagatelle without Tonality, 1885), a fascinating work that predates atonality by 20–30 years. While Liszt's approach differs from the later innovations of Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School, this piece was strikingly ahead of its time.
Liszt composed 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, and here Volodos presents the lesser-known No. 13. It is slower but filled with passages of extraordinary virtuosity and beautiful expression.
Other highlights include Sposalizio, inspired by Raphael’s painting The Marriage of the Virgin; Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, based on Bach’s cantata of the same name; Funérailles, an elegy for the fallen of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution; and La Lugubre Gondola, a profoundly moving piece composed after Liszt had a premonition of Richard Wagner’s death.
The album concludes with En Rêve (In a Dream), a brief nocturne that pays tribute to Chopin.
Other recommended Liszt recital albums:
Nelson Freire – Harmonies du Soir (2011)
Jorge Bolet – Liszt Paraphrases (1970)
3. Liszt: Études d'Exécution Transcendante (Transcendental Études) – Alice Sara Ott (2007)
Liszt’s music often places more weight on the performer than most composers' works. A conductor might be considered a genius for executing a flawless Brahms symphony, but the achievement belongs primarily to Brahms. And to the orchestra. With Liszt, the interpreter plays a much larger role.
Alice Sara Ott, a German-Japanese pianist born in 1988, possesses such immense talent that her debut commercial album was released under Deutsche Grammophon, one of the most prestigious classical music labels. This 2007 recording of Études d'Exécution Transcendante (Transcendental Études) is breathtaking.
Her interpretation is not just virtuosic but deeply poetic, offering a fresh perspective on these 12 famously difficult pieces.
Sadly, in 2019, Ott was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that can affect motor coordination and even cause cerebral atrophy. Fortunately, her condition is not degenerative, and she continues to perform and record.
Other recommended recordings:
Claudio Arrau
Jorge Bolet
Daniil Trifonov
4. Liszt: Totentanz / Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2 – Arnaldo Cohen (2007)
Liszt’s works for piano and orchestra are relatively few, mainly centered around Totentanz (Dance of Death), the Piano Concerto No. 1, and the Piano Concerto No. 2.
In this 2007 recording, Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen delivers a stunning performance with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) under conductor John Neschling.
Totentanz, based on the Dies Irae chant, is a virtuosic, almost demonic work. Meanwhile, Piano Concerto No. 2 stands out for its tenderness and lyricism.
This album is an essential addition to any Liszt collection.
In these three pieces, Arnaldo is immediately faced with a formidable challenge.
By 2007, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) had undergone a major transformation, becoming one of the world’s finest ensembles. Neschling was at the top of his game, and Cohen was in his prime. That year, they recorded these works.
The greatest challenge of this album is not the dazzling, virtuosic, and heroic Totentanz. Nor is it the sheer difficulty and dominance of Piano Concerto No. 1. Rather, it is the tenderness and delicacy of Piano Concerto No. 2.
Notably, they chose to divide Totentanz into 10 tracks, whereas it is typically presented as a single uninterrupted piece. For the Second Concerto, they opted for six tracks, also more than the usual four.
It is worth noting that if we look at the tempo markings in the score, there are indeed six sections. However, the Piano Concerto No. 2 is also written as a continuous movement, much like a rhapsody.
The six sections are
Adagio sostenuto assai
Allegro agitato assai
Allegro moderato
Allegro deciso
Marziale un poco meno allegro
Allegro animato
Totentanz
Arnaldo had already recorded the Totentanz in it's almost impossible version for Solo Piano, composed by Liszt in 1865. I suggest you check it. The cover is as follows.
The version for piano and orchestra is not necessarily easier than the one for solo piano. The pianist has to deal with balance with the orchestra. And Liszt, being Liszt, doesn't make it any easier for the pianist.
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major
Returning to our album with OSESP, Piano Concerto No. 1 is relatively short, lasting about 20 minutes across its four distinct movements. The piece premiered in Weimar in 1855, with Liszt himself at the piano and Hector Berlioz conducting. However, Liszt had initially sketched ideas for it as early as 1830, when he was just 19 years old.
The third movement introduces an unexpected protagonist: the triangle — an innocent instrument, suddenly sharing the stage with the powerful piano. This unusual orchestration led to the concerto being nicknamed the "Triangle Concerto" for many years.
Overall, this concerto is significantly more challenging for the soloist than the Second Concerto.
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major
This concerto is a true gem. Liszt composed it in 1840, making it both earlier and later than the First Concerto — a unique case of musical revision and refinement. Unlike the first, Liszt premiered this work as a conductor rather than a soloist, with his student Hans von Bronsart at the piano in 1857, in Weimar.
The orchestra is compact, yet, rich (in other words, small in size but full in sound): two of each woodwind instrument plus a piccolo; two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, two timpani, cymbals, and the string section.
A notable highlight is the prominence of a single cello. The same would happen in Brahms' Second Piano Concerto. This choice is emblematic of the Romantic era’s tendency toward expressive individuality within orchestral textures.
Other recommended recordings:
Nelson Freire with the Dresden Philharmonic and Michel Plasson
Krystian Zimerman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Seiji Ozawa
Claudio Arrau with the London Symphony Orchestra and Colin Davis
5. Liszt: Symphonic Poems – Berlin Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Liszt invented the Symphonic Poem, a single-movement orchestral work that conveys a narrative or a mood (although there were some predecessors). This genre influenced composers such as Richard Strauss, Antonín Dvořák, and Heitor Villa-Lobos.
In this 1997 release, Zubin Mehta leads the Berlin Philharmonic in five of Liszt’s 13 Symphonische Dichtung (Symphonic poems):
Les Préludes - No. 3 of Liszt's symphonic poems, Les Préludes was premiered in 1854, with Liszt himself conducting. The title makes reference to an ode (of the same name) by the french poet Alphonse de Lamartine.
Orpheus - Orpheus is Liszt's hommage to ancient Greece, heroism and mythology. Orpheus was a legendary musician in Greek mythology. Numbered 4th of Liszt's original symphonic poems, it is one of the shortests of all of his works of the genre (it lasts a little less than 11min.).
Mazeppa - Finished and premiered in 1854, Mazeppa is the sixth of Liszt's 12 original tone poems (the 13th came later). He also composed a Trascendental Étude called Mazeppa, completed in 1851, which served as a musical inspiration for the symphonic poem. The program, here, is Victor Hugo's poem Mazeppa, released in the book Les Orientales.
Hamlet - Written in 1858, Hamlet was premiered only in 1876. Liszt legitimally admired Shakespeare's character (Hamlet) and, also, Ophelia, from the same play. The symphonic poem is, obviously, based on the play, mainly on Hamlet, the character. But there are a few references to Ophelia.
Hunnenschlacht (The Battle of the Huns) - Based on a painting by Wilhelm von Kaulbach of the same name, Hunnenschlacht was written and premiered in 1857, in Weimar. The painting depicts a battle between the Huns, led by Attila, and the Roman Empire. It lasts a little more than 14min.
This is an outstanding album, offering a powerful introduction to Liszt’s orchestral genius.
Other recommended recordings:
Kurt Masur conducting the Gewandhaus Orchestra;
Bernard Haitink conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra;
Georg Solti conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris.
Thank you for reading! I hope this guide was useful. Scroll down to leave a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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