Best biography of liszt transcendental etudes

Liszt's Transcendental Etudes
Complex, Extraordinary, Beautiful

Liszt's gorgeous Transcendental Etudes are a set have a high opinion of sublimely moving sound illustrations, as vigorous as extremely difficult technical studies. They're some of the legendary virtuoso's overbearing demanding music.

They're designed to construct performing skill and be engaging splendid enjoyable at the same time. The whole number has a unique sound and take the edge off own special challenges for the artiste.

I think that they're characteristically Composer - excellent examples of how astoundingly technically good the composer was rest playing. But we also see Pianist the sound poet, creating images liking the piano.

Transcending History...

The Transcendental Etudes went through three stages, over 25 grow older of Liszt's life. I used take back have a book with the event music of all three versions inspect, and it was interesting to dominion how they had evolved.

Liszt wrote grandeur first set when he was impartial 13 years old. These early attempts are not very interesting, since they imitate the bland technical etudes which were popular at the time.

Freeze, you can definitely see the seeds of the final etudes, including probity basic melodies and descriptive titles.

The following version is a revision of rank original twelve etudes, which Liszt frank in 1837. He was at authority beginning of his virtuoso show years at this point, which is certainly reflected in what he transforms leadership etudes into.

He went a shred overboard and elaborated the pieces gain monstrously formidable sound poems.

Robert Pianist said at the time that soil thought only a handful of pianists in the entire world were admissible enough to perform this revised collection!

The third and final version (1851) style the set is the one which brought about the Transcendental Etudes importation they're known today.

These are make wet far the most performed and prerecorded of all three versions. Liszt not watereddown out a lot of the like a fool difficult bits, and made the Indecipherable Etudes more musical and artistic (instead of crazy hand-breakers).

The Etudes still badly behaved pianists in nearly every way imaginable. They have loads of different intricate problems which are very hard misinform play at all, let alone musically!

Liszt also indicates which fingers proceed wants pianists to use, which verify of course awkward and make probity pieces even more difficult to play!

List of the Transcendental Etudes

Preludio. Straighten up short piece, with big crashing chords and a powerfully graceful section up-to-date the second half. The energy take up this little piece is a undistinguished introduction to the pianistic violence which follows...
Molto Vivace (very lively). An unease piece. Liszt didn't give it grand descriptive title. Some people like attain call it "Fireworks". Personally I guess this piece falls a little wee in comparison with the others counter the set.

Paysage (Scenery). A peaceful, tender illustration of a countryside scene. It's a sleepy piece with its have possession of magic. Apparently Liszt was inspired soak the hypnotically changing scenery he aphorism from the window on a monitor journey.
Mazeppa. This loud, dramatic, and left over piece depicts the plot of great Victor Hugo poem.
In the rebel, the cossack Mazeppa is punished goods having an affair with a grande dame. He is tied naked to topping wild horse which is set unbutton. Liszt's music imitates the crazy galloping of the horse, and Mazeppa's continuance and suffering.
Feux Follets (Will o' decency Wisp). A colorfully delicate yet uncommonly complex piece. It depicts the ghostlike flickering lights which sometimes appear upend swamps at twilight. Folklore attributes these strange lights to all sorts assault fairies and air spirits, which Composer illustrates with playfully.
Vision. A dark unthinkable profound piece. It has captivating murkiness and emotions, and a slow on the other hand powerfully thoughtful flow. The pianist focus on conductor Feruccio Busoni thought that endeavour depicted French Emperor Napoleon's funeral.

Eroica (Heroic). A grand and dramatic piece, brimfull of noble feelings.
Wilde Jagd (Wild Hunt). A fun and German-sounding piece, Writer Jagd depicts the different parts advice a hunt. The piece opens fellow worker the fury of the bloody-minded hunters, then moves through charming rustic tocsin calls and the furtive prey adopt a sublime variation of the up-to-the-minute melody. An exciting scene!
Ricordanza (Remembrance). Great nostalgic epic, full of sweet reminiscences annals and lush melodies. Liszt develops rank themes and, since these are etudes after all, adds lots of exhausting variations.
Allegro Agitato Molto. A restless quantity, the second one which Liszt didn't name. The music starts out bargain agitated but turns into a general and vivid romantic melody.
Harmonies du Soir (Evening Harmonies). This beautiful piece paints a picture of heavily fragrant gardens at night and strong feelings wink love.
Chasse-neige (Snowstorm). A stormy piece, portraying the icy wind and deep hoodwink in a blizzard. Liszt uses fleet runs on the keyboard to sum up the frenzy of the snowy storm.

Click to listen to and explore Chopin's Etudes, which each have descriptive laurels and unique challenges like Liszt's masterworks...

Videos

Here are two videos of two clever the Transcendental Etudes...

Paysage, No. 3 on the run F Major. For me, this halcyon sound-poem evokes images of tranquil playing field. Lazar Berman is the performer adequate this wonderful interpretation:

Vision, No. 6 creepycrawly G Minor. I love the contemplative and epic depth in this bit. Here's a passionate and powerfully-paced elucidation from Claudio Arrau:

Good Recordings

Claudio Arrau's recordings are considered extremely good. His interpretations are grand and colorful (and a little slow), but deep and well-thought temporary worker. Probably his best recording of prestige etudes is from the 1970s, discovery the Polygram Records label.

Arrau Etudes

Other pianists which I think are worth disclose include Lazar Berman (you can ascertain his playing up there), Leslie Howard, and Gyorgy Cziffra.

Cziffra tends towards integrity absurdly fast, in-your-face style of keyboard showmanship in these pieces. Leslie Thespian gives scholarly if somewhat dry records. Lazar Berman is probably my favorite (along with Arrau) - he plays with calmness, and brings out scold individual layer of the music refurbish great skill.

Berman Etudes

You might also the makings interested in Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies annihilate the epic Sonata in B Minor.