I honestly think I like this piece better than the first meph waltz.
Why don’t more people play this gensui?
I know Zlata and TM play this, but who else?
Richter did it when he was old, and it’s just not Richter (I haven’t actually checked if there is a prime era Richter recording, which would probably be definitive).
Then there’s Nyiregyhazi, who’s as subtle as a sledgehammer (as usual). Sofro played it too, and his might be the best I think, although I think it can be improved upon.
I’m ashamed to say my favourite recording is by Leslie Howard 
I love it too. The first waltz is so extraordinary that I’m not sure I prefer the 2nd, but since the 2nd is so rarely played I’d much rather hear than the first if I could choose between them. Cyprien Katsaris and Gunnar Johansen recorded it too, and a broadcast tape of John Ogdon playing it exists from 1969 - made for a 7 part Liszt series the BBC planned, and for which they had Ogdon record the music for all seven programs in a single day! I also have a recording by a gentlemofo named Istvan Lantos… but I don’t know why.
I think Andsnes’ recording is good actually. Yeah I like this piece a lot too. Quite mystic
Randomly, I think this is the case with a lot of works by Liszt. My favourite Valse Oubliée is unquestionably the 2nd for instance, and I like both the first and second Liebestraums better than the 3rd. Similarly my favourite Petrarch is 126 and not 104, and so on…
And why do pianists play the Transcendentals, the Paganinis and at least three of the five Concert Studies, but so carefully avoid the final single study from 1840? Again the others are so good that I can’t say it’s my favourite, but I easily prefer the Étude d’perfectionnement to several of the pieces in either of the other sets.
I’m starting to think pianists are just ignorant of the repertoire, or just unimaginative as far as programming is concerned.
I swear if I have to listen to a selection of Rachmaninoff preludes again, I’ll skip that concert.
What I don’t understand here is that this second meph waltz is very accessible music; it’s not arcane in the least, which is why I don’t get why the first is played so much (too much) and the second so little.
I quite like Andsnes’s recording, although it’s not passionate enough for my taste.
I can’t really remember Howard’s but I’ll dig it up later. I heard him do the fourth Mephisto Waltz at school one time, but neither the piece nor his playing of it made much of an impression.
I actually like the idea of performing the Petrarca sonetti as a set, I’ve never heard more than 2 myself.
I don’t know… there are clearly other winds blowing for the time being, but once trends change again I really hope we’ll get some focus on Liszt and the spiritual side of music again, since there’s so much work left to do there for pianists. Decade by decade, I think several of Liszt’s finest works have yet to be recorded by a capable pianist. I think it’s for a future generation to do however, since I can’t see Rana, Wang, Tyson, Grosvenor etc enter this repertoire - and even if they did I can’t see them being successful in it.
I have a recording of Cyprien Katsaris, in his prime, playing all 4 Mephisto Waltzes, actually, along with Benediction and a few other pieces. I will gladly post it if there is any interest.
I LOVE the Richter rec Tru!! 
Hehe. Well I’m at least glad he played it, but I think it would have been a different story if he had taken it up in any other -8 than 88. Likewise with Bolet’s Norma.
The sad thing is that… among current pianists, I can’t even think of one I think would play it well. 
We need to wake that Rybina chick up and tell her to start practising so she can play like she did when she was 14 again.
I’m interested in hearing that, thanks!
Brew - are you familiar with Johansen? I still prefer Howard, but I’m listening as I write and this is one of GJ’s better records (in spite of some LSD:ian rewritings here in 515).
I’ve heard of him but I’ve never heard any of his recordings.
Btw, I listened to Howard before and I quite like it.
I think it’s Howard’s best disc actually. The Meph-2 rocks, and he’s good in the Oubliees too.
Imma rape da Meph 2 again for da pimp comp if I pass.
There is a pretty cool Sofro rec
Make sure you actually rape it though, but Richter style not Nazi.
I just listened to Katsaris, and it’s really not what I would’ve expectd from him. In general, I think he overdoes things but here I was left wishing he’d given it more. It was almost too musical (for lack of a better word).
You didn’t like ZC?
That’s a top 3 version for me.
No I think she was good, it’s the most pianistically competent version I have. But I lack the bite of Howard…
She played it on TV a few days ago incidentally, obviously recorded around the same time she visited. I can cap it if you like? Worth seeing for the Dracula outfit she wore at the concert too if nothing else. 
Yes, that would be awesome.
Thanks!
I iz bring the mofo back for da pimp comp
Tru!
Rezpec, it’s a wikid sheeyat that deserves to be played a lot more than it is.