Feux Follets (F. Liszt) performed by 12 great pianists

Franz Liszt’s “Feux Follets” is renowned for its unparalleled level of difficulty and infrequent inclusion in piano programs. Despite its demanding technical requirements, the piece is intended to be performed with a light and joyful touch. Executing it successfully demands significant endurance and self-control from the performer.
Here, twelve of the greatest pianists, whose recordings are available, attempt this challenging piece. While some (Arrau, Cziffra, Wild) approach it with a more delicate and measured tempo, others (Kissin, Lim, and Katsaris) emphasize a faster pace, aiming to make it sound playful and 'fun'
00:00 - K. Buniatishvili
00:19 - S. Richter
00:49 - D. Trifonov
01:22 - E. Wild
02:14 - G. Cziffra
03:01 - C. Arrau
03:39 - E. Kissin
03:58 - Y. Wang
04:32 - N. Lugansky
04:56 - F. Busoni
05:29 - C. Katsaris
05:47 - J. Lim

[@andrecardon2141]

Great to listen 12 interprétations. Thanks

[@dwacheopus]

No Pogorelich :(

[@daffyduck3185]

Lim for sure

[@Gigadenza]

I recall Richter's 1958 Live performance in Sofia (which is not featured in this compilation) was one of the first to send shockwaves through the pianistic world and even made other accomplished virtuosos at its and feather light touch. I believe remains amongst the very best of any era, despite the substandard recording - though there may be a now cleaner remastering of it than the one on my Philips CD transfer -which was released in the late 80s (I think). Frankly, there have been dozens of stunning renditions since, though of those I've heard, Kissin (both on his RCA disc from the mid-nineties) and in numerous live recitals is spellbinding in terms of calrity, though some might criticise his slightly heavy touch. Boris Beresovsky - both on his complete studio set of all 12 etudes and the live open air concert at the Roque d'Anthéron in 2002, extraordianry articulation, speed and at very little cost to dynamic range.
Katsaris' 1970 performance at the Tchaikovsky comp (at 5:35 in this video) is possibly the fastest ever recorded in a live concert and again, the clarity he manages to retain throughout the most technically challenging passages is extraordinary, even if some dynamic shaping is sacrificed. Cziffra's live encore is irrisistable for both its unique idiosynchariies and how effortless he applies them. Lazar Berman's earlier recording from a complete set in 1959 is on a par with Richter in terms of technique and musicianship and also includes a couple of ossia passages which make for interesting listening. A couple othe gems pianophiles might not have savoured are Leonid Kuzmin and Minoru Nojima and of course, we have Lim (who seems to be the current benchmark) and whose numerous renditions are indeed sensational in every respect, though I wouldn't put him above any of the others I've mentioned, either technically or artistically. To me, they're all worthy of "musical transcendance" in their own way!!

[@katttttt]

4:00 damn she had been playing for 8 years then..

[@JeffKwak221]

i think Buniatishvili was the least cleanest