"Editor's choice: It is indeed extraordinary ... Liszt's fluid treatment of bel canto structures reveals an assured musical dramatist at work ... He makes no concessions to his singers, though, and his vocal writing is taxing in the extreme ... The choral singing is consistently strong, the playing terrific, and Karabits conducts with extraordinary passion. Trippett has carefully modelled his orchestration on Liszt's works of the early 1850s, and it sounds unquestionably authentic"

"What emerges sounds like a catalogue of styles from Bellini and Verdi to Mendelssohn and Wagner, a unsatisfying mix that lacks its own distinctive voice. Still, it's good to be able to hear it and fitting that Liszt's old Weimar orchestra ... has recorded it. In the title role, the plangent tenor Airam Hernández confirms his status as a rising star; but it is Mirra, the king's lover, who carries the burden and Joyce El-Khoury is on exciting, mettlesome form ... Mazeppa, also based on Byron. Quintessential Liszt, this masterpiece telling the story of a Ukrainian hero is brought to vivid life under the baton of today's leading Ukrainian conductor"

"Rediscovered and reconstructed, Act 1 of Liszt's opera Sardanapalo receives an outstanding performance from the Weimar Staatskapelle and Nationaltheater Opera Chorus under Kirill Karabits. Any fears that Liszt might not have been at home in the genre are dissipated, for the work, with long-spun melodies, an innate sense of dramatic thrust and some thrilling choral work ... It is a shame that we only have Act 1. But we should be grateful that we do"

"Umso mehr verwundert es, dass Lizt wohl verschiedene Opernprojekte erwog, ... doch keine Oper vollendet hat. Das hier eingespielte Fragment einer Oper über den assyrischen König Sardanapalo ... nach dem Drama von Lord Byron brach er mit dem entwurf eine ersten Aktes 1852 ab. Erhalten haben sich in Skizzen die Singstimmen und eine angedeutete Orchesterbegleitung, die David Trippett zu einer spielbaren Fassung ausarbeitete: mit einem völlig überzeugenden Ergebnis. Das ist Opernmusik ganz auf der Höhe der Zeit, wie sie Verdi, Bellini oder Berlioz komponierten ... Der ... geradezu bezwingende Eindruck dieser Musik entsteht freilich auch durch das vorbildliche Engagement aller beteiligten und das beeindruckende interpretatorische Niveau: ein glanzvolles Dokument"

"I 1849-50 arbejdede den nu erfarne Liszt på en opera, den italiensk inspirerede 'Sardanapalo', som han efterlod efter kun at have skitseret en første akt. Manuskriptet af de 111 siders grove skitser ... optog David Trippett, underviser ved Cambridge University, så meget, at han besluttede sig for at orkestrere og udfylde hullerne, så det kunne blive til en spilbar version. Den er nu tilgængelig på cd med Weimar Staatskapelle, som er på hjemmebane, når de opfører Liszt"

"Sardanapolo dates from about 1846 until 1852. Its progress, or otherwise is a complex matter, and it seems that Liszt finally gave up in frustration over complications with the libretto ... The vocal writing is taxing, and the excellent soprano, Joyce El Khoury is occasionally pushed to her limits. She has a lovely voice though ... The tenor, Airam Hernández is splendid, his voice youthful and ardent ... The female chorus is lovely and Kirill Karabits obtains accurate and committed playing from the heirs to Liszt's own orchestra at Weimar"

"Recording of the week: The score is a fascinating, at times disconcerting melange of Italianate and Germanic elements, with long stretches of bel canto melody punctuated by darker, proto-Wagnerian outbursts ... El-Khoury does a valiant job, though there's no disguising that Liszt wasn't terribly accustomed to writing for the operatic voice ... Sardanapalo may be 'the claw of a lion' rather than the entire majestic beast (to borrow a phrase from one of Wagner's letters to Liszt), but it's definitely worth a visit"

"Early in 1850, Liszt began to set a libretto based on Byron's Sardanapalus. Two years later, he abandoned it; but the first act is there in his notebook, complete enough for Trippett to have reconstructed it with only a little conjecture as to what Liszt might have had in mind. This CD is the result, comprising the first act of Sardanapalo ... Liszt's mind, as ever, seems to resemble a vast repository of all the music of the 19th century ... It's rooted in Italian tradition; and yet some of Liszt's glittering textures seem to look half a century ahead to Richard Strauss. Then, around every corner, there is Wagner ... Karabits conducts with pace and purpose, and his singers are strong if not subtle"