Progetto Martha Argerich

italiano

Works

Franz Liszt

From "Années de pèlerinage" (Première Année: Suisse), R. 10a

 

The three volumes of the Années de pèlerinage contain some of Liszt’s most important piano pieces. The Première année: Suisse (First Year: Switzerland) was written in 1836 (although it was not published until 1855) and consists of nine pieces altogether. The first six will be played on today’s programme, and they are the most important ones by far. No. 1, Chapelle de Guillaume Tell (William Tell’s Chapel), is a sort of grand, triumphal hymn inspired by Switzerland’s national hero, whereas No. 2, Au lac de Wallenstadt (On Lake Wallenstadt), is a fundamentally lyrical, descriptive piece. With its joyous, folklike tones, the very short Pastorale (No. 3) evokes a rural feast, and the aquatic reminiscences heard in Au lac de Wallenstadt return in No. 4, the fluid, fascinating Au bord d’une source (At the Edge of a Spring). The stormy, dramatic Orage (Storm; No. 5) seems to evoke an internal tempest rather than a natural phenomenon. The final piece, La Vallée d’Obermann (No. 6), is the longest and most important of the entire collection, and it is dedicated to Etienne Pivert de Sénancour, a writer who become famous in 1804 with his Rousseau-inspired novel, Obermann. In this piece, Liszt pays homage to the values expressed in the novel: the music overflows with magnificent pianistic effects that are full of pathos and harmonically audacious.

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1. Chapelle de Guillaume Tell
2. Au Lac de Wallenstadt
3. Pastorale
4. Au bord d’une source
5. Orage
6. Vallée d’Obermann

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