Liszt was working on
his oratorio "St. Stanislaus"
at the time of his death. He completed
part IV and most of Part I. This is
the first attempt at a performance of
the work by presenting all existing
completed numbers and sketches. The
aria "Mein Sohn..." which
exists in complete piano score has been
orchestrated by Munson and Conlon for
this performance which consists of:
Scene I: Introduction: [18.27]
Chorus, "Qual
und Lied"
Recitative: "Kindlein! Was
weinet ihr?"
Chorus "Beschütz uns"
Aria: "Mein Sohn, O still des
Volkes Not" [8.27]
Scene IV
Orchestral Interlude: "Salve
Polonia" [9.57]
Orchestral Interlude II: "Salve
Polonia" [6.21]
Psalm 129: "De Profundis" [12.16]
Chorus: "Salve Polonia" [4.16]
Certainly no idea can
be gained of what the whole work would
have sounded like, other than a general
resemblance to Christus. But
much of what is here is top drawer Liszt.
If you love Liszt’s music as I do you
will want to own this disk, especially
as it constitutes his final musical
utterance. You will most likely return
to this recording to hear the sections
individually. The second orchestral
interlude in Scene IV is a fine brief
tone poem and could be programmed as
such. The orchestral Psalm is
reminiscent of other similar works by
Liszt and could be programmed as they
are.
Liszt’s interest in
Poland was partly because he was Catholic,
and partly because his companion of
his later years was a Polish princess,
Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, and partly
because he was a champion of oppressed
people everywhere. Paul Munson’s notes
cannot be bettered: "The story
[is] of the medieval bishop Stanislaus,
who dared to rebuke King Boleslaus II
for the evil of his reign and who consequently
died a martyr's death in 1079. ... Liszt’s
message [in this work] is that the church
and the state must remain autonomous
in their respective spheres if each
is to hold the other accountable. No
Priest is above the law and no magistrate
is beyond needing spiritual counsel
..."; a message as timely today
as ever. Liszt considered himself not
merely a musician but a champion of
social and political liberalism, a stance
which led many, even well into the 20th
Century, to denounce his music as corrupt
and degenerate. He wrote his Funerailles
for the Hungarian patriots executed
by the Austrians, entered priestly orders,
lived in lengthy relationships with
two women, but ultimately refused to
marry. During his time as a travelling
virtuoso about half of the concerts
he gave were for charity, and he never
accepted fees for lessons. He was hardly
a saint, but his failings were mostly
of a personal nature and he suffered
private anguish for them. He was not
anti-Semitic, but, as with Nietzsche,
others inserted passages into publications
of his written works for their own purposes.
Soloists and orchestra
all perform with total commitment and
the result is certainly a milestone
in Liszt musicology. Conlon’s credentials
as a great Liszt conductor* have been
earned through many outstanding recordings,
his great recording of Christus
being currently, unaccountably, out
of the catalogue. Sound in this CD recording
is excellent. I have not had the opportunity
to hear the SACD, but this CD sounds
better than some CDs made from Telarc
SACDs. The program material is not such
as to expose weaknesses in DSD recording
technique. It decodes nicely in your
surround sound decoder to give a rich
theatre sound with the positiv
at centre rear.
*Conlon is also a superb
Mahler conductor, his Fifth Symphony
the best I ever heard in a live concert
with the LAPO.
Paul Shoemaker
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/James Conlon
