Leslie Howard ReviewsIt is hardly surprising that the Australian-born Leslie Howard has been typecast as a Liszt pianist: he recorded the Hungarian master’s complete piano works on 99 CDs. It is therefore interesting to hear him in other music, even if it is not far removed from his specialty. The two composers were both known as phenomenal lions of the keyboard, but what Rachmaninov also requires is depth of feeling. The last of the great Romantics, his piano music is imbued with a distinctively Russian angst. A full, deep tone is required to express the melancholy in his slow music and the barely concealed savagery in his turbulent climaxes. Howard meets these demands, and puts them to good use in the earlier D minor Sonata (1907). In this work there is a sense of the composer stretching his wings: his habitual use of sequential passages in place of development is rather transparent, especially as the melodic content is not all that memorable. Howard finds moments of pure tranquillity in the slow movement but strikes me as heavy-handed in the rhythmically charged finale. The B flat minor Sonata is more mature. An entrancing slow movement opens with Scriabin-like chromatic harmony and later incorporates the composer’s beloved bells. He revised the sonata in 1931 but Howard (like most current pianists) plays the fresher 1913 original. Everything about this disc is superior: sound, packaging, and Howard’s sympathetic performances of the sonatas and the affecting Piano Pieces, written as Rachmaninov was leaving his homeland for good. Limelight Magazine, August 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol. Trois chansons. Two Pieces for Christus Magnificat. Albumblatter, etc EDITOR’S CHOICE GRAMOPHONE A must for Liszt completists as Leslie Howard makes some rare finds indeed. More than a decade after Leslie Howard put his seemingly comprehensive Liszt cycle to bed, so to speak, the indefatigable pianist/scholar has amassed nearly two and a half hours’ worth of previously unknown material that ranges from album-leaf scribbling to several substantial large works. The collection opens with a real find in the three movement 20 minute long Romancero espagnol, dating from the 1840’s. Careful restoration from the manuscript yielded a performing version published by the Liszt Society journal in 2009. The music is quite extrovert, dramatic and harmonically adventurous. Although the finale is based on the same Jota aragonesa familiar from Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody, it’s treated quite differently for the most part. Howard also presents a first version of the Scherzo und Marsch that’s a little more prolix and texturally unwieldy in comparison to the more compact and scintillating revision. The second of Berlioz’s Harold in Italy appears in a much earlier and more difficult that Liszt would revise to superior pianist effect years later. Conversely, Liszt returned to his definitive and quite faithful transcription of the March form Wagner’s Tannbauser in order to add a few improvisational flourishes and alteration. Even the most fragmentary short works hold fascination, such as the Andantino in A flat, which is a wistful, introspective setting of Chopin’s Polish song “The Maiden’s Wish”, while by contrast, an arresting, furious chromatic gesture initiates a fugue that breaks off after 18 seconds. Clearly tackling Liszt anew in the studio has revitalised Howard’s pianism. Sample the thundering sonorities he summons from the piano’s bowels in the Magnificat, S182a, the relaxed ebb and flow he brings to the “simplified” Valse-Impromptu, or how even the most fragmentary works never fail to communicate shapely elegance (the 19 second Cadenza S695f, for example). As always, Howard’s annotations reveal a high level of detective work, musical insight and scholarship without pedantry. Jed Distler, Gramophone, March 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol. Trois chansons. Two pieces for Christus. Magnificat. Albumblatter, etc An extraordinary tour de force of pianism, musical detective work, and scholarship, well recorded and impeccably annotated as always. It honours Liszt’s memory in the best possible way by illustrating his many-faceted genius. Jeremy Nicholas, Classic FM Magazine, May 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol. Trois chansons. Two pieces for Christus. Magnificat. Albumblatter, etc All of this intriguing new material is presented with the discernment and sympathy which have become the hallmark of Howard’s Liszt series. Patrick Rucker, International Record Review Jan 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol. Trois chansons. Two pieces for Christus. Magnificat. Albumblatter, etc One of the great recording enterprises, Hyperion’s Liszt series with Leslie Howard continues its appendices in the form of this third volume of “New Discoveries”. Two longer pieces appear on the first disc, while the second comprises several transcriptions alongside a veritable sheaf of Album-Leaves. The 1845 Romancero espagnol was intended for publication in 1847, but it didn’t happen. To compound matters, the pages of the MS are not numbered. Leslie Howard’s version gives the piece in three clear sections, each with a theme to itself. Howard’s touch is remarkable, as much for its delicacy as for its strength. The outgoing, Spanish through and through finale is remarkable. Howard realises the abounding diversity of Liszt’s textures and conveys this richness faultlessly, while invoking the spirit of the dance. The oratorio “Christus” has never attained popularity. Here are two sections taken from the vocal score as arranged by the composer, ‘Introduction and Pastorale’ and ‘Das Wunder’ (The Miracle). Dated as around 1871, the music seems to have many characteristics of Liszt’s late period. Howard makes the first movement supremely meditative; the ‘Pastorale’ is simply delicious in terms of texture, evincing a sense of suspended disbelief. The second movement moves from initial dark rumblings via some passages that frankly do sound like a piano transcription. The Magnificat is the first draft of the Alleluia (S183/1) and remains unpublished. Howard makes it sound grand and proud. Although the sources of Trois Chansons are not known, Liszt’s transcriptions are pure delight. Howard gives them the dignity they require. In total contrast comes the too-brief, ultra-tender Album-Leaf (S166p). Like the one catalogued as S166q, this came to light in a 2006 auction (Howard copied them before they were sold!). Both are exquisitely song-like (the second is a shorter version of the sixth Consolation and is absolutely delicious, especially in Howard’s performance with its superb cantabile). After these, the theme of the Variations, ‘Tiszántuli szép léany (S384a), seems infinitely childlike. The authorship of this set of variations is questionable – perhaps Liszt oversaw its composition?. Still, it is two-and-a-half minutes of pure delight. Howard’s control of Bellini-like cantabile enables the Romance by Michael Wielhorsky (1756-1866) to sing magnificently. First, he presents what is referred to as the “first intermediate version” (the second such version opens the second disc). This is pure magic, with Lisztian flights of fantasy inserted as if they are the most natural digressions. The second version is shorn of a whole minute’s music (25-percent of the duration of the first version) – which seems quite cruel for such a short piece. Perhaps that is why Howard uses it as a lead-in to the Berlioz arrangement that one hears next on that disc. Schlummerlied is the second intermediate version of the seventh movement of the enchanting Christmas Tree Suite. It is heard here in a copyist’s reproduction of the first version, a copy in the possession of Carl Lachmund (1857-1928) who worked for Schirmer. Perfumed and mysterious, it is based on harmonies one might consider more sophisticated than expected for a piece of such origins. Howard’s hushed delivery seems suffused with sleepy expectation. The first disc ends with Valse-Impromptu in an “Edition facilitée”: salon music par excellence. The original of Berlioz’s Marche des pèlerins (Harold in Italy) uses lots of repetition of material, enlivened by varied scorings. Liszt made an arrangement in around 1836/7 for piano (another, much later second version is available in Volume 5 of the present series, while an arrangement for viola and piano is on volume 23). Howard conjures a lovely cantabile that projects the viola’s long line well. On piano it is fore-grounded more than one hears in the original, creating a solo line with mesmeric accompaniment. Liszt’s entirely characteristic decorations create sonorities of real beauty. If the shape of the piece (processional-recessional) is best heard in Berlioz’s magnificent scoring, Howard reminds us that Liszt could put his own characteristic take on colleagues’ works. The chimes of the end of the piano version are particularly effective. The 1876 version of the ‘Entry of the Guests into the Wartburg’ from “Tannhäuser” finds Liszt allowing himself to elaborate more on Wagner’s original than he had in previous editions of this transcription. Howard's performance exudes nobility. Except for Wilde Jagd, the remainder of the second disc comprises short pieces. A brief Adagio non troppo (mid-1820s, identical to the introduction to the Allegro di bravura found in Volume 26) is beautifully shaped by Howard. The Album Leaves are marvellous snippets of Webern an brevity, often tailing off into questioning silence. The effect of a straight listen through is as mesmerising and disorienting as it is tantalising. The brief (19 second) cadenza to the First Mephisto Waltz leads to a 1”40’ Albumblatt on the same Waltz, a brief snippet of unrest. Finally, Wilde Jagd: Scherzo (1851), the first version of Scherzo und Marsch (erudite readers will recognise the title of Wilde Jagd from Transcendental Studies), first published in 2009. Howard’s virtuosity is highly impressive and a fine end to a fascinating set. Colin Clarke, The Classical Source, 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol, S695c; Trois chansons. Christus, S498c: Two Pieces; Magnificat, S182a etc One of the great recording enterprises, Hyperion’s Liszt series with Leslie Howard continues its appendices in the form of this third volume of “New Discoveries”. Two longer pieces appear on the first disc, while the second comprises several transcriptions alongside a veritable sheaf of Album-Leaves. The 1845 Romancero espagnol was intended for publication in 1847, but it didn’t happen. To compound matters, the pages of the MS are not numbered. Leslie Howard’s version gives the piece in three clear sections, each with a theme to itself. Howard’s touch is remarkable, as much for its delicacy as for its strength. The outgoing, Spanish through and through finale is remarkable. Howard realises the abounding diversity of Liszt’s textures and conveys this richness faultlessly, while invoking the spirit of the dance. The oratorio “Christus” has never attained popularity. Here are two sections taken from the vocal score as arranged by the composer, ‘Introduction and Pastorale’ and ‘Das Wunder’ (The Miracle). Dated as around 1871, the music seems to have many characteristics of Liszt’s late period. Howard makes the first movement supremely meditative; the ‘Pastorale’ is simply delicious in terms of texture, evincing a sense of suspended disbelief. The second movement moves from initial dark rumblings via some passages that frankly do sound like a piano transcription. The Magnificat is the first draft of the Alleluia (S183/1) and remains unpublished. Howard makes it sound grand and proud. Although the sources of Trois Chansons are not known, Liszt’s transcriptions are pure delight. Howard gives them the dignity they require. In total contrast comes the too-brief, ultra-tender Album-Leaf (S166p). Like the one catalogued as S166q, this came to light in a 2006 auction (Howard copied them before they were sold!). Both are exquisitely song-like (the second is a shorter version of the sixth Consolation and is absolutely delicious, especially in Howard’s performance with its superb cantabile). After these, the theme of the Variations, ‘Tiszántuli szép léany (S384a), seems infinitely childlike. The authorship of this set of variations is questionable – perhaps Liszt oversaw its composition?. Still, it is two-and-a-half minutes of pure delight. Howard’s control of Bellini-like cantabile enables the Romance by Michael Wielhorsky (1756-1866) to sing magnificently. First, he presents what is referred to as the “first intermediate version” (the second such version opens the second disc). This is pure magic, with Lisztian flights of fantasy inserted as if they are the most natural digressions. The second version is shorn of a whole minute’s music (25-percent of the duration of the first version) – which seems quite cruel for such a short piece. Perhaps that is why Howard uses it as a lead-in to the Berlioz arrangement that one hears next on that disc. Schlummerlied is the second intermediate version of the seventh movement of the enchanting Christmas Tree Suite. It is heard here in a copyist’s reproduction of the first version, a copy in the possession of Carl Lachmund (1857-1928) who worked for Schirmer. Perfumed and mysterious, it is based on harmonies one might consider more sophisticated than expected for a piece of such origins. Howard’s hushed delivery seems suffused with sleepy expectation. The first disc ends with Valse-Impromptu in an “Edition facilitée”: salon music par excellence. The original of Berlioz’s Marche des pèlerins (Harold in Italy) uses lots of repetition of material, enlivened by varied scorings. Liszt made an arrangement in around 1836/7 for piano (another, much later second version is available in Volume 5 of the present series, while an arrangement for viola and piano is on volume 23). Howard conjures a lovely cantabile that projects the viola’s long line well. On piano it is fore-grounded more than one hears in the original, creating a solo line with mesmeric accompaniment. Liszt’s entirely characteristic decorations create sonorities of real beauty. If the shape of the piece (processional-recessional) is best heard in Berlioz’s magnificent scoring, Howard reminds us that Liszt could put his own characteristic take on colleagues’ works. The chimes of the end of the piano version are particularly effective. The 1876 version of the ‘Entry of the Guests into the Wartburg’ from “Tannhäuser” finds Liszt allowing himself to elaborate more on Wagner’s original than he had in previous editions of this transcription. Howard's performance exudes nobility. Except for Wilde Jagd, the remainder of the second disc comprises short pieces. A brief Adagio non troppo (mid-1820s, identical to the introduction to the Allegro di bravura found in Volume 26) is beautifully shaped by Howard. The Album Leaves are marvellous snippets of Webernian brevity, often tailing off into questioning silence. The effect of a straight listen through is as mesmerising and disorienting as it is tantalising. The brief (19 second) cadenza to the First Mephisto Waltz leads to a 1”40’ Albumblatt on the same Waltz, a brief snippet of unrest. Finally, Wilde Jagd: Scherzo (1851), the first version of Scherzo und Marsch (erudite readers will recognise the title of Wilde Jagd from Transcendental Studies), first published in 2009. Howard’s virtuosity is highly impressive and a fine end to a fascinating set. Colin Clarke, Classical Source March 2011 Wigmore Hall 2011 It was obvious that we should hear from Leslie Howard during Liszt’s bicentenary year and he duly started his doubtless prodigious international concert schedule with a connoisseur’s choice of rarities on 14 January. Almost throughout his playing was large-scale and dramatic, and this matched the opening pieces extremely well. The Grosses Konzertsolo is a rare case of a dud among Liszt’s often imaginative titles but it remains an important work that should be heard more often, and not only for its anticipations of the Sonata and. Less directly, the Faust Symphony. In the Weinen Klagen Bach Variations to Howard’s largeness of conception was added a more overt chromaticism, an acute expressiveness. He reminded us that this stands with the Sonata and Faust Symphony as one of Liszt’s very finest works. Next there were the Sarabande and Chaconne on Themes from Handel’s Almira and there was almost as much Liszt in this bold piece as in the foregoing variations founded on a Bach bass. As Howard pointed out in his helpful programme notes, the Sarabande dominates and his performance showed this to be yet another important late work by Liszt even if almost ignored by the literature. And the revelations continued after the interval with what were said to be actual first performances. These were transcriptions of two orchestral interludes from Liszt’s oratorio Christus, the latter, The Miracle, virtually a symphonic poem for the piano. The other premiere was of Romancero espagnol in three parts, with more masterly playing by Howard. This was particularly so in the Jota aragonesa, which sounded like a superior rewriting of the final pages of the Spanish Rhapsody. Max Harrison, Musical Opinion, March 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol, S695c; Trois chansons. Christus, S498c: Two Pieces; Magnificat, S182a etc These CDs, the 98th and 99th in Leslie Howard's epic Liszt series, amount to something more than the latest necessary purchase for completists: indeed this latest batch of previously unknown or long-forgotten items assembles into a pleasingly comprehensive musical portrait. Liszt the flamboyant toruing virtuoso is represented here by the Romancero espagnol of 1845 (some similar material to Rhapsodie espagnole, but very different treatment; the towering master-composer of the Weimar years by Wilde Jagd: Scherzo (a prototype of the Scherzo and March, not of the Wilde Jagd study itself; the benign musical poet by Schlummerleid of 1882, a variant of one of the Weihnachtsbaum pieces; and the transcriber by several fine items, including and early, 1837 version of the Pilgrim's March from Berlioz's Harold in Italy. Even the sequence of tiny Album-Leaves has its moments. To all this Howard brings his by now happily familiar way with Liszt's idiom. As ever, he beautifully allows the composers' spontaneous, improvisatory streak to speak as naturally as it likes, and needs to. And if his delivery of the Romancero espagnol is on the mellow side, this is evidently by choice, because the power unleashed in Wild Jagd : Scherzo is as impressive as you'll find anywhere. Memo to fellow Lisztians: don't hesitate. Malcolm Hayes, BBC Music Magazine January 2011 Liszt New Discoveries Vol 3: Romancero espagnol. Trois chansons. Two pieces for Christus. Magnificat. Albumblatter, etc A further supplement to Leslie Howard’s complete cycle. When virtuoso pyrotechnics are demanded Howard rises to the occasion with consummate ease. He avoids imposing his own personality on the music but presents interpretations that allow the music to speak for itself. Most of the items presented here are intimate in character, revealing the pianist to be, first and foremost, a poet of the piano. One marvels at his exquisite phrasing, textural balance and subtle pedaling as well as his innate judgement of tempo. Brian Davidson, International Piano, 2011 St Peter's Eaton Square 2010 Even though one expects an extraordinary evening from a world class virtuoso such as Leslie Howard, it is still an uplifting and surprising delight to experience the fact. Such was the sensation at his recital on March 25 to a capacity audience at St Peter’s Eaton Square, part of a new series. A specialist in the Romantic repertoire, with a new double CD of Liszt premieres to add to his vast discography, Howard produced ravishing orchestral colours from the pristine Fazioli grand resonating in the high-ceilinged spaces of the refurbished church, leading us on inspiring musical journeys. As an opener, Beethoven’s Variations in F Op. 34 were sharply characterized, though they also were somewhat over rigid in their phrasing. Howard found his true form in the less often played Troisième année of Liszt’s Années de Pelerinage, weaving the seven exploratory pieces into a compelling architectural unity. Searching rhetoric in the first three pieces led to luminous splendour in the central ‘Les jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este’, its swirling filigree effortlessly bubbly and flowing. Most impressive were Howard’s dramatic transformations of mood in each piece, from silences and fragmentary gestures, through bold bass rumbles, glistening high octave melodies suspended over pulsating chords, opening vistas like crevices in a rockface, leading through ravines to radiant outpourings. Howard was fully immersed in Liszt’s unusual harmonic language infused at times with dissonant chromaticism, and the final piece ‘Sursum corda’ with its whole-tone passages in massive chordal blocs came across as a musical equivalent of one of the wonders of the world. More astonishing pianism followed in Tchaikovsky’s seldom played Grande Sonate, the symphonic grandeur of which Leslie Howard projected with orchestral richness, the fanfares of the opening movement and their delicate contrasting subjects developed into a massive climax. The expressive heart was the slow movement’s yearning semi-tonal theme, but for me the breathtaking highlight was th Scherzo, propelled with fleet-fingered wizardry, elegantly choreographed in the hands. The leonine finale surpassed all in its electrifying contrasts and colours bringing this attractive work to a memorable conclusion. It would have been enough, had Howard’s encore not lifted us into even higher realms with Liszt’s Nocturne based on Chopin’s Polish song ‘My Joys’, in which he interspersed the broad lyrical phrases and dancing motives with generous sprinklings of Lisztian stardust that shimmered into the evening air. Malcolm Miller, Musical Opinion 2010 Wigmore Hall 2009 The prize for the performance of the year should surely be awarded to Leslie Howard for his playing of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata Opus 106 at the Wigmore Hall on November 8. Intellectually, physically, virtuosically and emotionally this was a towering performance...Opus No 6 is the Mount Everest of music; very few pianists can achieve the perfection that Howard exposed for us.. Leslie Howard is an amazing performer. John Amis, Musical Opinion 2010 Cadogan Hall 2009 "One wonderful and unexpected moment occurred during Act II, at Orlofsky's party with a real performance on stage of Liszt's Hungarian Fantasies as part of the entertainment provided by the Prince for his guests. The Royal Philharmonic and Madeleine Lovell were joined on stage by the great pianist and scholar Leslie Howard. His performance of Liszt's fiendishly difficult piece was lively, colorful and stylish displaying an understated but dazzling virtuosity which grabbed one's attention. Mr Howard delivered an outstanding performance, perhaps the greatest highlight of the evening." Seen & Heard 2009 Cadogan Hall 2009 "The mystery guest was not a star singer, not a star pianist, Leslie Howard, who continued the Hungarian theme with a performance with the Royal Philharmonic orchestra of Liszt's Hungarian Fantasy, thrillingly played by this great Liszt virtuoso. It sat rather oddly within the context of champagne and decadence but who cares? It's a terrific piece." Opera Magazine, September 2009 Virtuoso Howard has a masterclass Leslie Howard’s Recitals Australia concert was a masterclass in the art of making great music. In Howard’s capable hands, it also fairly might be said that it was an exercise in making music great. Beethoven’s Six Variations Op. 34 is a fairly rigid affair, doing the right things and arguably lacking the ease of his later excursions into variation form including the Eroica variations which followed. It nonetheless is a deserving piece, from which Howard coaxed much charm. Charm also is present, if occasionally over-present, in Borodin’s Petite Suite, especially in the dancing mazurkas, though the suite is not without its serious side. Glazunov’s Piano Sonata in B flat minor may have been composed in the 20th century but harkens back to an earlier era - even recalling, in the closing pages, Tchaikovsky’s famous concerto in the same key. Inventive without being inspired, its virtuosity is rather more overwrought than dazzling but it made for a terrific closer. By a fair measure, the pick of the program was the third and final of Liszt’s Annees de Pelerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) suites. None of the ostentation so often seen in Liszt, this is introspective stuff, a sombre look back on a life shot through with imperfection. Howard’s was a performance of stunning intensity, as might be expected from the undisputed master of this repertoire. Peter Burdon - Adelaide Advertiser, July 2009 Wigmore Hall 2008 It was a measure of the compelling nature of Leslie Howard’s artistry that a large audience was drawn to Wigmore Hall, and made up of many distinguished musicians and pianists from amongst the cognoscenti, attracted by the prospect of great pianism allied to musicianship that was as breathtaking in its virtuosity as it was revelatory in its grasp of the music. Beethoven’s six short Minuets, dating from his early years in Vienna, can surely never have been offered as a concert item in the 213 years since they were composed. At once, with this fine pianist, we were drawn into Beethoven’s world, a world which demonstrated beyond argument that even in these tiny works, suggested no doubt by an aspect of the prevailing Viennese social world, that Beethoven could never be other than Beethoven. In this regard, Leslie Howard proved himself the ideal interpreter. One remains astonished that these are not better-known, except No.2, beloved of all amateurs who have tackled “Beethoven’s Celebrated Minuet in G”. The F major Variations are more familiar, but are not as frequently encountered as such quality demands; a truly remarkable set, and – mindful of Schnabel’s pioneering recording from the 1930s – one doubted if any pianist currently before the public could have embraced the range of expression in this work as did Howard in this performance. Yet it is with Liszt that Leslie Howard is synonymous, and – ending his recital on a completely different tack – we had the Twelve Transcendental Studies. From the opening gesture we were left in no doubt of Howard’s complete virtuosity in music that, truth to tell, at times exhibits characteristics of the circus but which, under the surface glitter, offers so much more in depth of musical experience. The awesome technical difficulties of this music forbid frequent live performance, but Howard proved conclusively that there is much more in this astounding collection than many pianists are minded to discover. For examples, ‘Paysage’ and ‘Mazeppa’ – the latter demanding the most comprehensive of virtuoso techniques – were outstandingly well played to a level that one would be hard pressed to name another pianist who could equal, let along surpass, Howard’s playing throughout on this occasion. This was comprehensively flawless pianism from a true master of the instrument. More than mere virtuosity, this seemed to recreate the very inspiration that originally brought this music into being. After such towering music-making, Howard’s two encores, from Czerny’s School of Velocity (Opus 299), subtly bridged the gap between Beethoven and Liszt – Beethoven taught Czerny who in turn taught Liszt. It was equally revelatory to hear these pieces at the right tempo – they almost never are, despite Czerny having gone to the trouble of affixing metronome marks. Robert Matthew-Walker Classical Source 2008 Wigmore Hall 2007 Leslie Howard is a pianist endowed with a truly questing mentality. How else could he have put down the monumental 97-disc Hyperion Liszt conspectus? Or, for that matter, constructed a programme such as this – full of discovery and delight? B flat minor hung heavily at this Wigmore Hall recital, with all three sonatas sharing this key. But there was not a trace of monotony. Howard gave each work its own intrinsic character to deliver a varied and supremely satisfying evening. His belief in these pieces shone through his playing, resulting in a never less than stimulating experience Balakirev's Second Scherzo is hardly known (there are only a handful of recordings). Howard made us wonder how this could be so. The deep, sonorous flourishes of the opening led to a typical Russian melody, projected here perfectly without a trace of undue highlighting. The Wigmore acoustic is tricky for pianists, and it would seem Howard judges it better than most. A telling single line just before the work's close was one of the more notable moments. The Borodin needs a small amount of explanation. Howard followed the French edition in including the A flat Scherzo. Further, he followed Glazunov's example (when the latter orchestrated the work) and inserted the ‘Nocturne’ as a trio section. It worked perfectly, Howard demonstrating his expert ear for sonority throughout. The pair of ‘Mazurkas’ that make up the third and fourth numbers were most appealing; only the ‘Rêverie’ seemed to wonder aimlessly. The flickering, helter-skelter ‘Scherzo’ with its flickering ‘Nocturne’ effectively destroyed all doubts, though. Glazunov's First Sonata is dedicated to Rimsky-Korsakov's wife and was premiered by Siloti. It is a smouldering work from the pen of a master who still has to receive his full due. Glazunov's sonatas were written just before his Seventh Symphony, when the composer was at a creative apex. Howard pedalled wonderfully in the first movement, exhibiting a similarly sensitive way with phrasing. Did he deliberately highlight the kinship of some passages to Rachmaninov? Only one passage stood out for any sort of qualified comment – a passage that in Howard's hands sounded as if Glazunov was over-relying on the use of sequence (Stephen Coombs on his Hyperion recording avoids this). The lovely decorations of the Andante gave way to the champagne glitter of the finale (so technically difficult it is no wonder this piece is not played more often!). An all-Rachmaninov second half pitted three little-known pieces from 1917 against the mighty Second Sonata, rightly restored to its Original Version. The first of the Pieces, an Andante con moto, is surprisingly Scriabinesque, while the second is surely the closest Rachmaninov's famously serious face got to smiling. The final piece, imply called 'Fragments', seemed remarkably similar to the E minor Prelude from Opus 32 (interestingly, one of Howard's encores was the G sharp minor Prelude from that opus). Interesting that when Hélène Grimaud presented the Second Sonata in London (Royal Festival Hall, February 2005) and on her linked release (DG 477 5325) she felt it necessary to present a hybrid version – presumably to save Rachmaninov from his own bombast. Howard found the solution in the original score itself. His scaling was perfect – the opening gestures were striking but not exaggerated. By fore-grounding Rachmaninov's exploratory stance (and also making the work's kinship with the 1917 pieces clear), Howard seemed to make it all fall into place. Rachmaninov's famous allusions to bells were clear and sonorous; the concentration in the Lento was such that one could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Howard even found a partner for the finale in Ravel's La valse in his sheer exhilaration. Magnificent! Colin Clark - Classical Source May 2007 Wigmore Hall 2007 The public’s perception of the career of Leslie Howard in the past 20 years or so has been dominated by the astonishing achievement of his dedication to the music of Liszt, culminating in the thus far 98 CDs of the composer’s complete solo piano music released on the Hyperion label. But the range of Leslie Howard’s prodigious interests is much greater than specialising in Liszt, as was demonstrated by his solo recital at the Wigmore Hall on 24 April. The programme, entirely of Russian music, drew a very large audience indeed. They were rewarded by playing of the highest order, as those who have followed Leslie Howard’s recent career have come to expect. The first half began with rarely heard pieces by Balakirev and Borodin and ended with Glazunov’s First Sonata of 1901. The second half was all Rachmaninov, the three posthumously published pieces from 1917 to the original version of the Second Sonata of 1913. Throughout, Leslie Howard played with the greatest possible strength and delicacy, allied to a profound musical grasp of the music he had chosen. At times, especially in the Glazunov and Rachmaninov pieces, the audience must have felt it was uncannily present at the very acts if creation. It is rare for a Wigmore Hall audience to give an artist ovations at the end of both halves of a recital but the extended cheers and standing applause which greeted Leslie Howard’s projection of these works was exceptional in concert going terms and fully deserved. Robert Matthew-Walker - Musical Opinion 2007 A Superhuman Technician, In the Flesh Leslie Howard sometimes seems more myth than man. He is known as a pianist with a monster technique, a superhuman technique, a technique that should be physically impossible. And on Friday night, we saw — and heard — that the myth is true. Mr. Howard really does have that kind of technique. And he is a strong musician, to boot. Mr. Howard comes from Australia, but has spent his adult life in London. He shares the name of the British actor Leslie Howard, who died in World War II, when the Germans shot down the commercial airliner in which he was travelling. The circumstances of that flight, and that attack, are mysterious. In any case, the pianist is known for playing absurdly hard pieces from the Romantic period. He has recorded the complete piano works of Liszt, over 97 CDs (on Hyperion).That is a staggering feat. That is a lot of notes. And never were there more notes on a recital than we heard on Friday night. Mr. Howard's program brought "The Romantic Russian Piano Sonata — 1848–1907." He began with a sonata of Tchaikovsky, who wrote three for piano. This was the final one, in G major, called a "Grande Sonate" — and very grand it is, if not musically elevated. The first movement features an ocean of chords, which Mr. Howard handled exemplarily. He played those chords into the keys, resonantly. There is a great deal of bombast in this sonata — as in the others Mr. Howard performed — but this pianist knows how to trim, or manage, bombast. He is not a wild man of the keyboard. He is a smart man of the keyboard — albeit one with a circus technique. Incidentally, you may wonder whether Mr. Howard's recordings are for real: Can he play all those notes, or does he rely on technological trickery? You can trust the recordings — he really can play all those notes. And he is not all Sturm und Drang. For example, in Tchaikovsky's second movement, he produced gently rippling waves, absolutely even, and exquisite. After the Tchaikovsky, he played a sonata by Glazunov. Piano music by Glazunov? Who knew? Mr. Howard knew (and I might mention that he is a scholar as well as a performer).The composer of "The Seasons," plus nine symphonies, wrote two piano sonatas, both in the year 1901. Mr. Howard played the second of them, and did so with rhapsodic power. This is not great music, no (and the same statement applies to just about all of the music on the recital). But it shows Mr. Howard off, and he shows it off. You should have heard the blizzard of octaves with which Mr. Howard concluded this sonata. To begin the second half of the program was a sonata by Rachmaninoff — not the famous one, No .2 in B-flat minor, but its predecessor, in D minor. This work is almost never performed, and Mr. Howard did a service just by bringing it to us. The sonata has a program, a story to tell: the Faust legend, of course, composers' favourite. He closed his printed program with the Sonata No. 1 of Anton Rubinstein. This Rubinstein was one of the most famous musicians in all the world, in the second half of the 19th century. In fact, Artur Rubinstein, when he first started to concertize, had cards made up: "A. Rubinstein, Pianist — No Relation." As Mr. Howard explained in his program notes, Anton Rubinstein wrote his Sonata No. 1 in 1848 (probably), when he was 19 — and it is "of great historical interest for being almost certainly the first piano sonata written by a Russian." The sonata shows a wonderfully gifted young man, revelling in his talent. Mr. Howard laid on both the right fingers and the right spirit. What do you play for an encore, after a recital like this — something flashy? Mr. Howard might have been well served by playing a Bach sarabande. Instead, he played more Rubinstein, a waltz, in which he demonstrated — among other things — the art of the leap. Mr. Howard can travel a long way on the keyboard, very quickly, and very accurately. Jay Nordlinger - Classical Music, July 24, 2006 |