janzen@pipa.DEC (Thomas E. J. LMO4/B5 279-5421 ECL Test) (04/23/85)
RE: The beethoven symphonies transcribed by Franz Liszt for piano solo. I have the scores from Kalmus. They are falling apart after 4 years. Try to find a European edition. Now i have to learn bookbinding or stop playing them (poorly). I have current recordings of the 5th, 6th, and 9th. look for them in the catalogues. Just after I bought the scores the recordings started appearing. Pianists would do anything rather than play new music. The symphs had not been recorded before, of course. The sound modern on piano. The 6th and 7th sound like Philip Glass. The chromatic moody parts sound like some atonalist like Berg. The Ninth is so modern it beats all. It sounds eclectic like Berio. I enjoy playing the slow movement from the 4th. The first movement of the third is murder. The fifth is harder to play is Liszt ed. than any other. The opening of the fourth is wonderful.. See, I had never known the symphonies well before. Buying the scores of the piano version helped me become familiar with them. Thomas Janzen DEC Marlboro MA