Hi All,
Interestingly, the Bagatelle sans tonalité was originally entitled Mephisto Waltz no.4 (before the 4th was composed and the piece gained the title by which we know it today).  It's in my newest volume of the NLE as well but I've not got around to trying it yet (earlier I played through a few odds and ends rather than my pieces I listed elseware)

My 'quick view' of Liszt - he came up with many treasurable ideas but hardly ever seemed to work out what to do with them. In particular he never knew when to stop!

I'm not thinking so much of his big orchestral pieces as of short pieces such as songs. IMHO his setting of Uber allen Gipfeln is Ruh' is better than anyone's, until he repeats the last few words over and over again until we're (I'm) sick of them, and he's completely wrecked the poem (one of transcendent brevity and simplicity)!

I used to think that the end of Die Lorelei was the same. On record it always is, but live and sung by a gorgeous soprano voice, it is possible to want it to go on for ever. I speak from experience of hearing Kiri Te Kanawa do it. Not a great Lieder singer, not a great verbal communicator and therefore never going to be a great recitalist IMHO, but still, launched on that flood of tone she was indeed 'die Hexe Lorelei' for a few unforgettable minutes! ('Scuse me - cold shower needed...) But it never works on record, tho' I guess we can't blame Liszt for failing to forsee the effects of this technology.(*)

Returning to the point about too many repititions of the same idea, I reckon the piano music does this quite often too.

(*) Actually, I think this raises an interesting aesthetic point. High culture seems to demand that great works will stand a large amount of repetition, and not reveal all their secrets at first hearing. The other side of this coin is to do down any work that makes a massive impact 'first time up' but fades a little under closer scrutiny. And nothing helps 'close scrutiny' of musical works more than recordings, which has perhaps served to devalue still further the 'fireball'/ cataclysmic artist. Hasn't Liszt always fallen over this hurdle? I think this explains - partially at least - why he's never managed to be very academically respectable. And probably some of us here who don't dismiss him totally would stil be a little cautious about announcing 'Liszt is a great composer' among people we were trying to impress with our culture, wouldn't we? Does anyone else relate to this line of 'thinking'??

Chafing Dish: I know the Schubert, Schumann and Loewe but not the Zelter. I should perhaps have said that L's is as good as anyone's - certainly it can seem absolutely perfect, but only until he starts shuffling disjointed fragments of the text, fragments, fragments of the text, disjointed fragments, frag-fragments disjointed of the of the text  usw usw! BAH!

Are you sure about Wolf? I know his Du der von dem Himmel bist but no setting of the other Wanderers Nachtlied.

Increpatio, I agree that the 'cello version of La Lugubre Gondola is really much more emotional than the solo piano version.

Incidentally, as I said elseware, I'm currently learning the fourth version of Die Zelle on Nannonwerth (subtitled Elegie) - but there are 7 in all, including all the chamber versions (cello and piano, violin and piano as well) and the original vocal version (which I've not heard yet either.)

Ian, I agree, the Bagatelle seems mostly in B minor to me as well!

I love listening to the music of Liszt, although the reason I bought the CD of Arcadi Volodos playing Liszt was just because it was Volodos! However, I find that I cannot listen to a whole CD in one go. I think that is probably  because I find it too rich' ... can't think of a more appropriate word at the moment.

TP
Yes, it is all Liszt. 10 works (14 tracks)
Sony Classical  828768738023

Hi All,
From what I have read in the papers and on-line, Volodos's Liszt CD is excellent - although I am restricting myself (nominally) to 1 CD a month at the moment I will certainly get it at some point in the future.  I have his first two CDs - at Carengie Hall and transcriptions abnd they are excellent and also well worth a listen (e.g. the transcription of the Scherzo from Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony by Feinberg is incredible).