Nelson Freire - Liszt: Harmonies du Soir (2011)

Nelson Freire is at the pinnacle of his form for this thoughtfully programmed, beautifully engineered all-Liszt recital, from the unusually swift yet perpetually singing opening salvo Waldesrauschen to the impassioned and imaginatively pedaled Harmonies du soir that concludes. Fire and poetry intensely interweave throughout the Sonetto 104 del Petrarca, followed by a highly articulated Valse Oubliée No. 1 that's more dynamically charged than the norm.
How masterfully Freire gauges the B minor Ballade's narrative sweep, as he uncovers often ignored inner voices that in most performances are buried in the wild arpeggios and broken octaves. Fine as the Louis Lortie and Jerome Lowenthal renditions of Au lac de Wallenstadt may be in their recent complete traversals of the Années de Pèlerinage, Freire's more pliable phrasing and multi-layered textures create a more translucent, magical effect.
The Third Hungarian Rhapsody's subtle speed-ups and evocatively shaded cimbalom-like phrases couldn't be more elegant and idiomatic, while Freire's earth-shattering sonority in the low register defines pianistic shock and awe. It's also good to hear all six Consolations as a cycle, especially through Freire's ravishing, heartfelt artistry. Just sample the melting legato lines in No. 2, which owes more than a little to Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, or the muted, ethereal, No. 3. In short, Freire's gorgeous, utterly inspired Liszt playing belongs in every piano lover's collection. -- Jed Distler