I still remember the glory of my first listen in the 1970's to my newly purchased LP of the Busoni with John Ogden and I have listened to it so many times since that I can practically hum the whole thing, well not really, I'm a bad hummer, especially for a whole hour. But I never felt it was too long!! I can't remember hearing any other pianist who I felt did it injustice, and I listen to what I can get my hands on, but have a special place in my heart for the Ogden.
'Tis a pity that John of all people didn't receive finer orchestral support than he did on that otherwise historic recording. I don't know what the playing was like in his public performances because sadly I didn't attend any of them; he performed the work in Liverpool (1958 & 1966), London (1963 and 1966 [twice]), St. Louis and Minneapolis (1969), Empoli - Busoni's birthplace (1974) and Milan (1979), as well as another London performance in 1967 with the same forces with whom he recorded it. I think that few if any other pianist could have claimed to have had the work in his head for most of his life.
Oh - and Ogd
on, s'il vous plaît!...