Jenö Jando, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Andras Ligeti - Liszt: The Piano Concertos (2011)

Released for the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt's birthday, this triple-disc set of his two piano concertos and various other works for piano and orchestra is worthwhile for the sake of having these pieces brought together in one package, with solid performances by the same performers throughout. But they are so underwhelmingly recorded that likely no one would judge this package the most enjoyable in terms of sound quality. Overall, the playing by pianist Jenö Jandó and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, conducted by András Ligeti, has vigor and flash going for it, and this presentation of Liszt's big showstoppers certainly shows the considerable effort of the musicians in these challenging works. Yet a huge boost in volume is necessary to hear all the details of the recordings, and even then, there are limitations of what can be detected. The piano's sound is not full in its timbres, dynamics, or presence, and the orchestra has no feeling of depth, breadth, or resonance, due to the exceptionally dry acoustics that cut off notes as soon as they've sounded. This is far from an audiophile's dream set, and while some listeners might find it acceptable and better than mediocre, it doesn't dazzle. So while students of Liszt's music will definitely find this collection good for study purposes, and casual listeners may find real value in it, it will likely disappoint mavens of the finest sound quality.