Liszt: The Dante Sonata & other works

Nakamatsu, Jon

HMU 907409

Since Jon Nakamatsu won the gold medal in the 1997 International Van Cliburn Competition, he can count himself among the great pianists of the world, for this success in one of the most prestigious pianistic competitions in the world. Nakamatsu by no means proved to be a mayfly, but rather the artist started from this platform into a worldwide career, which is documented in his CD recordings with harmonia mundi. • His latest recording is dedicated to one of the greatest piano virtuosos and composers in music history: Franz Liszt. As a piano player, his reputation was legendary, his demands on himself high: "If I don't practice for one day, I notice it myself; if I don't practice for two days, my friends notice it; if I don't practice for three days, my audience notices it". • With the famous Dante Sonata, the three Petrarch sonnets and other pieces, Jon Nakamatsu has put together a programme that reflects Liszt's dual significance as a virtuoso and composer for piano. Jon Nakamatsu himself perfectly lives up to the standards of his virtuoso role model and unfolds a firework of virtuosity that does justice to the legendary virtuoso Franz Liszt, who was considered the perfection of piano art in his time, even by today's standards.

Works:

• Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, 2ème année, Italie (7 pieces), S. 161
• Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 7)
• Liszt: Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 3)
• Liszt: Il penseroso (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 2)
• Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 5)
• Liszt: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 6)
• Liszt: Sonetto 47 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 4)
• Liszt: Sposalizio (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 1)
• Liszt: Frühlingsnacht (after Schumann, Op. 39 No. 12), S568
• Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 2 in C sharp minor
• Liszt: Impromptu [dedicated to Princess Gortschakoff]
• Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1
• Liszt: Valse-Impromptu, S.213
• Liszt: Widmung S566 after Schumann (Liebeslied)

CD x 1

Harmonia Mundi

17.11.2006

093046740924