Just curious, mine would have to be no. 4 I especially love Berezovsky's divine interpretation.

mine is fish fillet

snow cone

10

The Fourth or Mazeppa is my favorite and I think Berezovsky's interpretation is spot on. The entire DVD is amazing. The fifth and tenth (Appasionata) are both so vibrant and captivating and I think recorded in 2001 so ten years ago. Mazeppa is a beast to practice and learn. I am now going to go after the 5th.

For me it's a toss-up between #10 and #11

No. 9 is my favorite.

5, esp. by Richter in Sophia.

Number 10

Nr. 4 and Nr. 10

For acrobatic thrills, the A minor. For erotic thrills, Ricordanza.

Number 10

Strapped on a wild horse.

Don't take it the wrong way when I say I don't have a favorite. There just isn't one that particularly sticks out to me, because they are all pretty good to me.

I've always loved no. 8 Wild Jagd...what a roller coaster ride!

2, 4, 10, 11 & 12 are the only ones with musical interest for me. If I had to pick a favorite among those it would be hard, but I might go for 11. 11 along with HR#2 and Liebestraume #3 was one of the first pieces I knew by Liszt, and its adventuresome and innovative harmonies pushed my little brain a lot as I was just beginning to engage with listening to lengthier pieces in my late childhood. I still remember fondly the weeks-long process of disliking it but forcing myself to listen to it, to being bewildered but interested, to loving it.

I thought it was Foo Follitz.

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist commenting on that post.

My favorites are #5 and #10, followed, perhaps, by #8.

The fifth has such a mischievous yet mysterious quality, and the pianism of it is astonishing....I think Ravel thought of this etude while composing Ondine.

The 10th, of course, is very passionate but it also has some tenderly romantic moments, such as near the beginning of the recapitulation, when it goes into the key of C major/ a minor, and then traveling into Db....very sensitive.

Even though Liszt is/was known as a virtuoso showman, he clearly is a composer of noticeable depth and sensitivity....I also like his etudes better than Chopin's.

As pieces of music, so do I.

But not all of us do.

Well, if you like them, keep listening to them! I'll listen to Baltic choral music.

Where do we find that?

Just YouTube search "Eriks Esenvalds", "Peteris Vasks", "Vytautas Miskinis", "Vaclovas Augustinas", and listen to "Kamer Youth Choir", the best chamber choir in the world.

Chasse-Neige is one of Liszts best pieces I think.

Then you should be familiar with composers such as Tormis, Kreek, Pärt and Vasks?

I like all of them except nos. 1, 3 and 5. I wonder why nobody likes Vision and Eroica??

Mazeppa and Wild Jagd must be the most insane tours de force ever composed..

Sort of agree about Mazeppa, but not Wild Jagd.

I love Eroica and Vision, and let us be glad that Liszt simplified the latter from the original version!

Yes, Vision!! I cannot believe the 1837 (date?) version was for left hand alone in the beginning. The part that captivated me was that section with the tremolos in the left and with rising arpeggios in the right. Such beautiful harmonies!

Wild Jagd in it's 2nd form must be absolute helll to play though. How is it even possible, just the first bar!?

Well if you have any idea, please let me know. It looks quite festive in score, and like so many of Liszt's earlier thoughts, we can only imagine how he must have surmounted those titanic challenges. I would give every single Harry Potter book and film in exchange for a glance into the wizard of Liszt.

Obviously pianos were quite different back then, and kudos to Liszt for realizing the direction pianos were heading, and thus revising his etudes.

In my life, the most overwhelming musical figure of all.

I like them. I like them all but I consider only one of any group of things to be my favourite. (Unless I were to have 2 children)

All of them, absolutely.

My favorites are 9, 11, and 12.

No. 9 is almost a little too sweet, but I love indulging. I think No. 11 and 12 are two of Liszt's truly great piano compositions. No 11 is elegant, ethereal, and epic. I witnessed a very interesting performance of this etude last year. It was a student recital, and the performer attempted the piece, and EPICALLY FLOPPED. It was one of those "wow, this is too painful to watch, I really wish he would just stop. Or maybe I need to just walk out..." moments. While the performance lasted 2 minutes longer than typical, with approximately 25% omitted measures, the gloriousness of the piece still resonated. That says something.

No. 12 leaves me frostbitten.

-Daniel.

Any fans of the douze grandes etudes? I just listened to a recording of the 7th while following the score. I disagree with Busoni who argues that the 2nd version of the Eroica is superior to the final one. The 2nd version just doesn't work for me for some reason.

It's fun going through the old versions after learning the transcendentals. I remember some very beautiful harmonies going on in the recitatives in the 2nd version of number 12, but I think what Liszt did to create Chasse-neige was truly magical.

Since the first etude is more like a preamble to the entire set, I find it to be the least interesting of the Transcendentals.

Its impossible for me to pick a "favorite" from the remaining eleven.

I've performed #9 a couple of times (successfully) and #12 (not quite as successfully). Made half hearted attempts to learn #8 and #10 (still may get around to them).

These are clearly among Liszt's most impressive compositions !!