#225 The Smell of Imperative

What a change of mood at 0'28''! We're getting into something so serious, big, and imperative. The smell is drying up but it's still there, in these tiny piano lines, till the end.

Ott is perfect in this concerto, very lisztian, precise, musically brilliant and technically marvelous.

Composer: Franz Liszt
Work: Piano Concerto No 1, III. Allegro marziale animato
Recording: Alice Sara Ott, Münchner Philharmoniker, Thomas Hengelbrock

#9 The Smell of Strictness

Fascinating composition and fascinating recording. Recorded for the first time–25 years after Horowitz's American debut–at Carnegie hall. Soon, Mr. Horowitz announces his withdraw from public performances (he'll be back in 12 years; his final recital will take place when he's 84 years old).

Playful, yes; dancing, dignified, grandiose. Well calculated, very focused. It's not a strict piece of music. But the smell is there.

Composer: Franz Liszt, arr. Horowitz
Work: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Recording: Vladimir Horowitz, RCA Victor, 1953