From Amazon.com
Claudio Arrau in the early 1950s offered in his performances an ideal blend of deep thinking and glittering virtuosity, traits in abundance in these spectacular recordings. The spontaneity often missing from his later efforts suffuses all of these works, and he's aided by Eugene Ormandy's great orchestra. The
Hungarian Rhapsodies are dazzling, full of excitement and even humor. The
Fantasia sounds like a major work in Arrau's hands, full of poetic flair, and featuring unbelievably even trills, pregnant with meaning. The Concerto works on a similarly exalted level, with Arrau's bronze tone and impeccable technique scaling the heights of lyricism without stinting on drama and excitement. All in all, a must-have for Lisztians and keyboard devotees.
---Dan Davis
