LISZT LIEBESTRAUM 3 in A flat major

This selection of interpretations of the Liszt Liebestraum 3 contains recordings from almost every decade of the first half of the 20th century, and includes several by young contemporary pianists. Over 130 years separate the birth of the youngest and oldest of these pianists.

The Liszt Liebestraum 3 is an excessively popular piece, by which I do not mean that it does not deserve its popularity, rather, that it is easy enough to play the notes and anyone with a passable technique can get through it.  Alas, they all do.  You will rediscover, below, the why of its immense popularity and its sublime beauty when played by a great artist.

If I were to single out two particularly interesting performances, one would be that of Simon Barere who eschews his usual passion and fury approach to piano playing in this stunning recording. The other would be that of Walter Rummel whose is a very impassioned approach which is somewhat atypical for him.  But don't begin with this one.  You will risk not wanting to hear any of the others.

Two of my very favorite performances of the Liszt Liebestraum 3 are those by Valentina Igoshina and Eileen Joyce, each in its own way the essence of a dream.

There is also a piano roll of Eugen d'Albert performing the Liszt Liebestraum 3, I suspect with a few of his own embellishments.  As d'Albert was an important student of Liszt, his performance might hold some secrets. The performance by Liszt pupil Frederic Lamond is another of my favorites.

Here is a group of recordings by seven old masters, several of which are available singly below, that includes 
Vladimir de Pachmann (1848-1933), Russian-German pianist (rec 1912) 
04:00  Emil von Sauer (1862-1942), German pianist and student of Liszt (rec ca1925) 
08:37  Moriz Rosenthal (1862-1946), Austro-Hungarian pianist and student of Liszt (rec 1929 or 30) 
12:34  Leopold Godowsky (rec ?) 
16:41  Jozef Hofmann (1912 piano roll) 
20:21  Leonid Kreutzer (1884-1953), Russian-born German pianist (rec ?) 
25:05  Walter Rummel (1887-1953), German-born American pianist (rec 1942)