Monthly Archives: January 2011

Au bord d’une source – played by Liszt’s pupil

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

Here is another beautiful water piece from the Swiss Year of Pilgrimage, and one which was revised after it first appeared in the Album d’un voyageur. The German literary quote attached is by Schiller, and translates: ‘In murmuring coolness the play of young … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage, Three Volumes, Music, Pianists | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Au lac de Wallenstadt – Liszt

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

‘The shores of the lake of Wallenstadt  kept us for a long time. Franz wrote there for me a melancholy harmony, imitative of the sigh of the waves and the cadence of oars, which I have never been able to hear without … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage, Three Volumes, Music, Places | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

To Franz Liszt – Letter from a Traveller

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

Actually, it sounds better in the original French – Lettre d’un Voyageur – the title of a letter from George Sand printed as an article in the Revue des deux mondes in September 1835, the addressee ‘mon cher Franz’. It is assumed that Liszt’s  … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage, Three Volumes, Music, Places | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

127 Hours – and Chopin

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

Nestling amongst the tracks from the film 127 Hours lies a curiosity. Ashkenazy – Nocturne No 2 says the playlist. It is, of course, Nocturne Op 9 No 2 by Chopin, and although the performance on the purchased soundtrack may be … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Musician’s Life: a Long Dissonance with no Final Resolution

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

‘Truly speaking, my friend, there is nothing quite as ludicrous as the travelling musician. I do not know of anyone who cuts a more pitiable figure or wears a more disagreeable expression as he journeys from land to land, city … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage, Three Volumes, Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

2011 – Liszt’s Année de Pèlerinage.

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

  On 1 June 1835, Franz Liszt departed from Paris on a public coach bound for Switzerland; he was to meet Countess Marie d’Agoult in Basel, who had left her husband and daughters for him. Their life together lasted for … Continue reading →

Posted in Composers, Liszt - Years of Pilgrimage, Three Volumes, Places | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment