Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Complete Piano Music. Vol. 30
Soirées italiennes on themes of Mercadante, S411/R220 (1838)
[29:17]
Études d’exécution transcendante d’après
Paganini, S140/R3a (1838) [13:27]
Impromptu brillant sur des thèmes de Rossini et Spontini, S150/R29
(1824) [11:25]
Sept variations sur un thème de Rossini, S149/R28 (c.1824) [9:37]
Gianluca Luisi (piano)
rec. Bösendorfer Hall, Vienna, Austria. 9-11 June 2008. DDD
NAXOS 8.570984 [64:06]
“
The character of instrumental music... lets the emotions radiate and shine
in their own character without presuming to display them as real or imaginary
representations.” Liszt
Now standing at volume 30 this continuing Naxos series maintains an impressive
level of consistency with this disc featuring arrangements of Italian opera
composers. Across the series Naxos have utilised the talents of several soloists
the majority of whom were new names to me. On this volume the soloist is also
unfamiliar but the label’s scouts are clearly expert at talent spotting
as Italian-born pianist Gianluca Luisi performs with assurance and considerable
brio.
Earlier this year I was dazzled by the playing of the Kanazawa-Admony Piano
Duo in volume 29 in the series comprising two-piano transcriptions of four
of Liszt’s symphonic poems on Naxos
8.570736.
In 2008 I especially enjoyed volume 28 in the series which was Liszt’s
two piano transcription of Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 9.
Previously, I had selected two discs from this series as my ‘2007
Records of the Year’:
Volume 24 played by Giuseppe Andaloro on 8.557814 and
volume 25 played by Alexandre Dossin on 8.557904.
Before it was possible to reproduce performances electronically the majority
of music-lovers only had access to the popular orchestral and operatic scores
of the day in pared-down arrangements for performance in the drawing room or
salon. Liszt was the undisputed master of the ‘art of the transcription’,
making numerous piano arrangements of the music of mainly popular contemporary
composers. These he played in his own recitals.
Completed in 1838 the Soirées italiennes, S411 are free piano
arrangements known as six amusements based on motifs from a collection of songs
by Saverio Mercadante, an admired Neapolitan composer, principally of operas.
It seems that Liszt dedicated the score to the Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria.
The set of six Soirées italiennes are genuinely elegant, attractive
and undemanding piano pieces that in the hands of Gianluca Luisi amuse and
delight. They vary splendidly from the relaxed elegance of La primavera (track
1) to the action-packed entertainment of the dance-infused Galop (track
2) to the brash arrogance of the drinking song Il brindisi (track 5).
It’s a shame that Mercadante the composer of the original themes is not
acknowledged in the titles to this release.
Liszt first heard Paganini perform in 1832 at a Paris recital. This event was
to inspire the young Liszt to embark on a career as a touring virtuoso. It
was in 1838 that Liszt prepared the Études d’exécution
transcendante d’après Paganini, S140 a set of six challenging
studies based on themes from Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin
and other works. In 1840 the set was published and later revised and republished
in 1851. Of the three Études on this disc the best known by far
is the sixth based on Paganini’s famous and oft-transcribed Caprice
No. 24 in A minor. I like the way Luisi traverses the complex and virtuosic
demands of the moody Étude No.1. A study in arpeggios the Étude
No.4 is akin to a perpetuum mobile and the celebrated Étude
No.6 is a delightful yet serious display piece with that killer melody.
From 1824 the Impromptu brillant sur des thèmes de Rossini et Spontini,
S150 is an early work from the year of Liszt’s Paris debut and bears
a dedication to Countess Eugénie de Noirberne. The score includes themes
from Rossini’s operas La donna del lago and Armida, and
Gaspare Spontini’s opera Olimpie and Fernand Cortez. A
marvellous piece, the Impromptu is high on melody and broad in entertainment
value. Possibly the themes are a touch lacking in variety which is probably
the reason the score is not played more often in piano recitals.
Liszt knew the Parisian-based Gioachino Rossini and prepared several fantasias
on themes from his operas. Dating from around 1824 Liszt’s Sept variations
sur un thème de Rossini, S149 uses themes from Rossini’s opera Ermione.
Liszt’s score is dedicated to Madame Panckoucke who was well connected
and from an eminent publishing family. Luisi is fresh and exhilarating
in the agreeable and dazzling virtuosic Sept variations.
Splendidly performed and recorded in Vienna this volume in the continuing series
shows no sign of flagging. Luisi is an excellent choice in these undemanding
early Romantic piano arrangements so radiant with Italian sunshine.
Michael Cookson