Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)/Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Symphony No. 6 in F Op. 68 Pastoral [51:53]
Ashley Wass (fortepiano)
rec. Great Chamber of Restoration House, Rochester, Kent, 3-5 April
2011
ORCHID CLASSICS ORC100024 [51:53]
Liszt’s transcriptions of Beethoven’s symphonies are now
no longer treated as mere curiosities but as imaginative recreations of the
originals in a wholly different medium. Obviously in no sense do they
supplant the original works but they do provide a new perspective. They free
the listener from the preconceptions that arise with music so well known and
otherwise unlikely to surprise, however satisfying in other ways an
orchestral performance can be. In the case of the present account there is
an additional element of surprise that derives from the use of a Girkowsky
fortepiano made in Moravia in the mid-1820s - after the original Symphony
but before Liszt’s arrangement.
It is indeed surprise that was for me the main characteristic of this
performance.
There is an abruptness to many phrases that usually sound so much more
regular
and straightforward in orchestral performance, and a transparency to the
texture
that reveals unexpected connections, not to mention the strange sounds
produced
on this instrument in the storm. No surprise therefore that in a lengthy and
interesting
note Ashley Wass accepts that this is a “Marmite” performance in
that
it will delight some and appal others. I am firmly in the former camp.
Listening
to this disc, especially with a recorded sound which is obviously that of a
smallish
domestic interior rather than a concert hall, is like enjoying a pair of
commentaries
on the Symphony from Liszt and Wass. Not everything is convincing but there
is
no mistaking the imaginations at work here. Ashley Wass says that he hopes
that
the recording captures some of the fun he had when making it. It certainly
did
for me, and if my immediate reaction after hearing it was to compare it with
a
recording of Beethoven’s original I suspect that Wass and Liszt would
wholly
approve.
John Sheppard
Surprise was for me the main characteristic of this performance.