Very differently. And that is a good thing. Even when trying to realize the composer’s idea and instructions as authentically as possible, pianists play differently. And interpretation varies greatly as well. In the past this seemed to be much more widespread – perhaps also because not everything could yet be heard in recordings for comparison. Welte did business with this diversity, having the same pieces recorded by the most sought-after pianists of the time – and also highlighting their differences in its advertising.
So not only do recordings of the same pieces by different pianists differ, but also the same pieces by the same pianist when recorded at different times. This can be compared, for example, in popular pieces that pianists recorded for different systems – examples are Liszt’s Liebestraum and La Campanella. From the point of view of interpretation – where the composers did not record themselves – the recordings by their direct pupils are particularly interesting. For example, the recordings by Liszt’s pupils.