Liszt! Pompa-Baldi Rom 1822 to 1848, Franz Liszt’S Career As on Musical Life of an Even More Permanent a Virtuoso Pianist Made Him One of the Nature
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After a Antonio reading of … Liszt! Pompa-Baldi rom 1822 to 1848, Franz Liszt’s career as on musical life of an even more permanent a virtuoso pianist made him one of the nature. As a composer, Liszt foreshadowed Fmost famous musicians in Europe. His many trends that would come to dominate the name was mentioned in the same breath as first half of the 20th century, particularly with the legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini, a man regard to the erosion of unambiguous tonal often credited with redefining the role of the identity. While many of his works aspired to instrumentalist in Western art music. As with high compositional and artistic ideals and no Paganini, Liszt’s influence as a virtuoso has more, Liszt also produced dozens of works that reached into the present. With a reputation for successfully married art and virtuosity. Many nigh-unbelievable feats at the keyboard, Liszt such pieces have become cornerstones of the was responsible for raising public expectations piano repertoire. of technical brilliance, expectations that are The influence of Liszt was felt across today commonly associated with career pianists. Europe and stretched toward the East, where He was the first pianist to systematically play many Russian composers and performers entire chamber concerts from memory; these found themselves seeking inspiration in the concerts he called ‘recitals’, a term that is still Hungarian-born master. A fine example is Sergey used for solo chamber performances today. Like Mikhaylovich Lyapunov (1859-1924), one of the Paganini, Liszt cultivated the public image of a late products of Russian musical nationalism. musician with otherworldly skills, somewhat Lyapunov—whose brother Aleksandr was the detached from reality and devoted to a life lived well-known mathematician—grew up in a for the sake of art. Liszt even foreshadowed musically- and scientifically-minded household. many modern musicians in being endorsed by an At Nizhny Novgorod, Lyapunov attended lessons instrumental manufacturer, singing the praises at the local Musical Society. His precocious of Erard’s instruments and using them in public talents developed to such an extent that Nikolai concerts whenever possible. Rubinstein invited him to make a successful Liszt’s name would have been cemented into application to the Moscow Conservatory. music history had he remained a virtuoso and There, he was taught by Tchaikovsky’s pupil no more. However, Liszt was to leave an imprint Sergey Taneyev, and even attended classes given by Tchaikovsky himself shortly before his Lyapunov himself. In his own capacity, Lyapunov tour of Western Europe, conveniently omitting iszt was one of the central figures in the retirement. Particularly relevant to the present would later publish further arrangements of 30 the truth of his self-imposed exile. 19th century phenomenon of virtuoso program were the extensive piano lessons given folk songs for voice and piano. But most telling Lyapunov left to posterity two piano Lperformance. Another figure of importance to Lyapunov by Karl Klindworth, who had been a of Lyapunov’s musical nationalism was that folk concertos, two symphonies, and numerous in this regard was Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), pupil of Liszt. Lyapunov was destined to develop material was to subsequently find its way into smaller works, of which his piano pieces who, prior to an early withdrawal from intensive into a pianist of formidable talents. many of his own compositions. are the most valued today. His best-known public performance, had embarked on a career In terms of compositional practice, Lyapunov Lyapunov’s esteemed position in Russian high work is that from which the etude on this as a professional pianist. Like Liszt, Chopin did not follow in the musical footsteps of society was to prove his downfall, however. After recording is selected: Douze études d’exécution composed etudes for personal use as well as Tchaikovsky. Instead, he was more attracted to the the 1917 Russian Revolution, he found himself transcendante, Op. 11. The title alludes to publication. And, again like Liszt, these etudes distinctly Russian-nationalist style of composers out of favour with dominant social ideology Liszt’s similarly named Études d’exécution were not simply technical exercises, but instead exemplified by the ‘Mighty Handful’: Cui, Borodin, encouraged by the Soviets. Despite securing a transcendante (1851). Lyapunov’s intention was surpassed their pedagogical origins by being Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Balakirev. It post at the new Soviet-sanctioned State Institute to ‘complete’ Liszt’s etudes, by writing pieces in presentable as concert pieces. was in seeking out Mily Balakirev that Lyapunov of Art, Lyapunov realised that the new regime the major and minor keys that Liszt never visited. In total, Chopin wrote three sets of etudes: found his way to St. Petersburg after graduation. would not be kind to him for long. In 1923, One can discern two prominent Liszt-related Op. 10 and 25 were issued as sets, and another Balakirev was to prove formative with regard Lyapunov immigrated to Paris, where both his influences here. On the one hand, Lyapunov’s three etudes are often grouped together without to the remainder of Lyapunov’s creative career. piano playing and compositional output had been career as a pianist would have brought him opus number. The Op. 10 etudes, recorded Primary success came as a pianist, but his esteem well-received in the past. (A parallel could be into constant contact with the work of Liszt, here, are the earliest, having been written as a composer was ever-growing, and Lyapunov drawn here with the land-owning Rachmaninoff, and particularly the infamously difficult Études around 1829-1832 (published 1833). The young secured himself a formidable reputation as a who together with his family effectively fled d’exécution transcendante which represent a Chopin dedicated the Op. 10 set to Franz Liszt, teacher in St. Petersburg. He was the successor to Russia after the Revolution, seeking his fortune in high-water mark in piano technique. On the whom he had befriended in Paris. These etudes Rimsky-Korsakov’s position at the Imperial Chapel, the West.) Fate was cruel to Lyapunov: the mild- other hand, Lyapunov himself had a connection are testament to the remarkable mastery of and held prominent posts at the Free Music School mannered composer succumbed to a heart- to Liszt via his Moscow Conservatory teacher, technique that Chopin already possessed at this (as director) and the St. Petersburg Conservatory. attack only a year after arriving in Paris. Despite Karl Klindworth, who had been a pupil of Liszt. early stage of his career. Although Chopin had a In 1893, together with Balakirev and Anatoly his apparent ideological and social shortcomings, The final piece of Lyapunov’s set—the etude number of teachers in his youth, their ultimate Lyadov, Lyapunov was commissioned by the Lyapunov’s contribution to Russian musical recorded here—carries the title ‘Élégie en contribution appears to have been negligible. Imperial Geographical Society to collect Russian culture was still of value to the new Soviet memoire de Franz Liszt’. Chopin, so far as the advanced aspects of his folk music. This resulted in the eventual publication regime. In an early example of cultural control, keyboard execution were concerned, was a of 300 notated folk songs, many arranged by the Soviets claimed that he had died on a concert self-taught virtuoso of somewhat unorthodox technique. And despite producing dozens of The final etude of the Op. 10 set, in C minor, One of Liszt’s most significant works was the thematic trajectory. Virtuosity persists, serving masterworks for the piano, his music-theoretical is often taken to be a musical expression of Sonata in B minor, published in 1853. However, to add to the musical drama. tuition was similarly minimal. Chopin’s impassioned disappointment regarding this mighty work was not the composer’s only Liszt never admitted of any program being As mentioned above, the Op. 10 etudes the failed revolution. As a result, this final etude musing in the key of B minor that year: also attached to the second Ballade, much in the same were composed at an early stage in Chopin’s is often nicknamed the ‘Revolutionary Etude’. published was the Ballade No. 2. These works way that Chopin’s Ballades are essays in musical career. By 1831, Chopin’s work was already There is, in fact, little evidence to support were both written during Liszt’s post-virtuoso narrative structure and not literal stories. Despite that of musical genius. Barely in his twenties, the idea that this etude was written in direct sojourn as Kappelmeister at Weimar, around the this, Liszt’s Ballade has drawn comparisons with he had already explored the limits of the salon response to happenings in Poland, or that it is a time that he was experimenting with the concept epic mythology. The German ballade Lenore, genres of the waltz, mazurka and nocturne, musical embodiment of extra-musical political of the programmatic tone poem. Liszt’s titling of penned by Gottfried Bürger, is taken by some to be all of which he would come to redefine. In the aspirations. Nonetheless, the nickname has the work as a ‘ballade’ no doubt brings to mind the inspiration for the work. However, the myth autumn of 1831 he found himself in Paris after persisted. To add to this, allusions to the final the four Ballades of Chopin, amongst the latter’s of Hero and Leander, which is of Byzantine origin, a long and bureaucratically frustrating stay in piano sonata of Beethoven have been made finest masterworks. The history of the ‘ballade’ has by far been the most common association. Vienna, compounded by a few unhappy weeks repeatedly, as both works trace a trajectory can trace its roots to both French and German Hero, who was in the service of Aphrodite, lived in Stuttgart.