Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Piano Concerto no. 1 in E-flat Major, S. 124
Piano Concerto no. 2 in A Major, S. 125
Totentanz, S. 126
Orazio Frugoni (piano)
Orchestre Pro Musica/Hans Swarowsky
rec. 1953/55 (Totentanz), Vienna
Reviewed from download
Forgotten Records fr2399 [52]

Although the Italian pianist Orazio Frugoni (1921-1997) never achieved the fame of Horowitz or Rubinstein, his sizable discography for Vox Records established a permanent place for him in the pantheons of old record shops and rummage sales. Born in Davos, Switzerland to Italian parents, he studied with Gaspare Scuderi at the Conservatorio in Milan, and then with Alfredo Casella and Dinu Lipatti. According to period newspaper accounts, he quickly began building a career, winning the Italian National Contest twice in 1938 and 1939 as well as the Geneva Prix de Virtuosité. His concertizing came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested by Mussolini’s secret police and placed in a series of camps. With the fall of the Italian fascist government in 1943, he escaped to Switzerland. In 1947, he moved to the United States, where he established a healthy performing career. He taught at the Baylor School of Music in Waco, Texas and at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester before returning to Italy in 1967.

While living in the United States, Frugoni regularly visited Europe to record for Vox, setting down solo discs of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and Liszt, and concerti of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns, Franck, and Lalo. The recordings on this CD originally appeared on two different LPs; the two concerti were published on Vox PL 8390 in 1953, and the Totentanz was released with a handful of Chopin’s concert works on Vox PL 9030 in 1955. 

These Liszt performances are thoroughly professional. Frugoni’s tempi are quite fast, and most of the time his admirable technique can handle that. Vox – a company that produced low-cost records on a tight budget – frowned on numerous retakes, so it is no surprise that here and there one hears some technical bobbles. He is sparing in his use of pedal; I suspect that we would be aware of fewer technical slips from him if he were less honest in this respect. The pianist achieves a ringing tone while avoiding harshness, always a plus in Liszt, and his passagework consistently sparkles. His fingerwork in several of the cadenza passages of the second concerto is particularly fine, being extremely rapid yet clear. 

Although I enjoyed these recordings, there is nothing particularly memorable about the interpretations. Frugoni was an elegant middle-of-the-road pianist; there is no oddball rubato or noteworthy phrasing that makes the listener sit up and think, “What was that?” For someone new to classical music back in the mid-50s, this would have been an excellent – and affordable – introduction to the Liszt concerti. In 2026, they still make for pleasant listening, but do not erase memories of Richter, Barere, Bolet, etc.

The orchestra is well recorded, unusually so for this period; the sound of the winds and brass is quite vivid in the finales of the concerti. For his part, Swarowski keeps the orchestra in tight harness with the pianist, which is no small feat, particularly in the first concerto. 

 Richard Masters

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