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Rating: «Music does not limit its wonderful manifestations to works for the masses: it meets the most diverse needs of our soul and fills them with all the impressions it is capable of. It won't let any of our moods escape.»
(Franz Liszt)
Franz Liszt is known mainly for another solo piano work, namely the "Hungarian Rhapsodies", certainly a major showcase of the Maestro, but these "12 Transcendental Études" are the pinnacle of technique and studies on the expressiveness of the keyboard undertaken by Liszt, a deep innovator of the instrument.
Writing about the "12 Transcendental Études" for piano is no easy task if you are not a musician and/or a scrupulous connoisseur of musical theory (which I am not; I am only a modest music enthusiast), but I think a review of this work on this (pleasant) website might be appropriate. But let's return to the work; certainly, listening to this magnificent work of the vehement and vigorous Hungarian pianist/composer, as well as conductor and organist, is "easier". The "12 études", in their final version, were fine-tuned in 1851, but the first études date back to 1826, when Liszt was fifteen(!).
The first étude "Preludio (C major)" is a very short, striking improvisation in every sense, a sort of warm-up for the hands and an introduction for the ears to what will develop in the remaining 11 pieces.
The second étude "Feux Follets (A minor)" begins with a rhythmic series of repeated notes where some themes develop and return in variations within the piece; the whole is impetuous and nervous, a caprice very close to the poetics of Paganini, a musician much loved by Liszt (who also dedicated a series of piano reinterpretations to him, the "Grandes études de Paganini").
The third étude "Paysage (F major)" is a motif of romantic, lyrical, and sad character, emotional and meditative, very close to the style of Schubert. Liszt loved and admired the Viennese pianist despite their poetics being very different.
We then reach the fourth étude "Mazeppa (D minor)", a key piece of extraordinary modernity, very challenging; its execution requires an uncommon piano technique, and upon listening, it proves to be intense and furious, at times gentle, leading to a passage with variations of the more relaxed theme, closing with an epic finale. From this piece, Liszt would later write the homonymous symphonic poem.
The fifth étude "Feux Follets (B-flat major)" is a delightful and light theme (but even here the execution difficulties are extreme) rich in arpeggios and chromatics. It is indeed a 'will-o'-the-wisp', but of absolute poetic sensitivity.
The sixth étude "Vision (G minor/G major)" is evocative, thanks to the vibrant arpeggio. The beginning is dark and dramatic, but as the piece flows, the theme repeats in variations, becoming increasingly bright, transitioning from G minor to G major. Here, Liszt shows us his ongoing and tireless exploration of the expressive possibilities of the piano, highlighting his imaginative vision.
The seventh étude "Héroïde (E-flat major)" is a "building up" piece in typical Lisztian style. Among all, in my opinion, the least successful, though it still remains a good piece.
The eighth étude "Wilde Jagd (C minor)" is instead monumental. It begins thunderous and with a strident and irregular rhythm, then the sounds fade towards a dance reminiscent of Chopin's pianism. To open a third tableau with an ecstatic flavor, reaching a finale that reprises all the themes, first dark and furious, then the most enchanting melody returns, but this is gradually overwhelmed by a crescendo of stormy chords.
The ninth étude "Ricordanza (A-flat major)" is one of the longest pieces and is sweet and light, rich with embellishments and variations on the theme, also of Chopinian taste ("Nocturnes").
The tenth étude "Appassionata (F minor)" is another page of great value, besides being a piece that requires great technique. It is once again Paganini returning in the disdainful and adventurous virtuosity overlapping the phrases, but then comes the theme, a declared homage to Chopin. The piece has a high degree of intensity, chromatically varied, with a throbbing finale.
The eleventh étude "Harmonies du soir (D-flat major)", the longest of the series (around 10 minutes), starts suspended and meditative, introducing us to the first theme, very mysterious. Thus, we reach a second theme rich in arpeggios, but it is a brief interlude because the first theme reappears, definitely more energetic, eventually arriving at a finale also arpeggiated with gentle serenity.
The twelfth étude "Chasse-Neige (B-flat minor)" is a marvelous and enchanting page. It is not only a winter image (the falling snow, the blowing wind) effectively represented, thanks to a masterful and calibrated use of tremolo, but also a vision of dramatic solitude.
Thus concludes one of the most beautiful and influential piano works of the nineteenth century (and beyond). Liszt gave life to a pianism of strong orchestral imprint, of great poetry combined with a masterly technique, and still today it proves to be very modern.
The edition I propose is that of the great Lisztian pianist Georges Cziffra, even though it is an old recording and not without hiss, in my opinion, it remains a reference version from which to start.
Tracklist
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