Here is a second mid-price reissue of this particular selection (previously available on EMI Studio, 2/88), but with the useful addition of the rare and comparatively late Mephisto Waltz No. 2. Yet there is still no sign of Masur's complete late-1970s survey of Liszt's orchestral works, which included the symphonies, symphonic poems and concerted pieces for piano and orchestra.
Comparisons with Haitink (whose performances of these works, minus the Mephisto Waltz, are contained in Vol. 1 of his survey of the complete symphonic poems—see above) reveal a closer, more incisive string sound from EMI, with less judiciously balanced winds and brass, and a variable but mostly sympathetic interpretative response to individual pieces. Mazeppa finds Masur less fleet of hoof than Haitink, but the Leipzig orchestra's string section has the edge in Tasso and Orpheus. I found Masur's Les preludes rather tame, yet the Mephisto Waltz is played with heady abandon: it is a wild, menacing piece, poised on the edge of post-Wagnerian harmonic innovations and a fair justification for investing in this particular selection.
Given Philips's slightly superior recording quality and Haitink's more painstaking preparation, I would still tend to favour their mid-price Duo two-disc set; but I also retain a fondness for the warmth and approachability of Masur's interpretations.'