Monthly Archives: December 2011

Journey’s End – and the Last Word from Liszt in 2011

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

  So we come to New Year’s Eve, the final day of 2011 and of the Liszt bicentenary. I set out on this online Année de Pèlerinage through Liszt’s music nearly a year ago, and it has been a fantastic experience. … Continue reading →

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Dedicated to Madame Clara Schumann. But could she play them?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

While considering Liszt’s Paganini Etudes, a few other points should be mentioned -Busoni also made piano transcriptions of Paganini’s Caprices, as did Schumann. Liszt dedicated both his 1838 and 1851 editions to Madame Clara Schumann, who, née Wieck, was one of … Continue reading →

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The Paganini Effect – La Campanella

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

A wet, grey day in Cornwall, and I sit in a holiday cottage listening to a recording of violinist Itzhak Perlman playing Paganini Caprices, as you do. It’s not hard to imagine the impression that Paganini made on European audiences as he performed … Continue reading →

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Harmonies du Soir; Chasse-Neige. Transcendental Etudes Nos 11 and 12

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

Harmonies du Soir opens in the bass with the sound of bells, un poco marcato, quasi campana, and bells and their overtones persist throughout the piece in different registers. The melody is underpinned by richly chromatic chords , often needing judgement … Continue reading →

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Review – ‘… Stevenson’s passionately eloquent approach…’

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

CD Review by Patrick Rucker LISZT Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième Année, Italie (complete). Première Année: Au la de Wallenstadt; Au bord d’une source. Troisième Année: Les Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este • Christine Stevenson (pn) • RFZ 69301 (67:56) Liszt … Continue reading →

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Love letters – and agitation. Transcendental Etudes Nos 9 & 10

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

‘… a bundle of yellowed love letters…’ Busoni’s description of Ricordanza, Liszt’s ninth Transcendental Etude, has yet to be bettered. The curvaceous, beautifully shaped melody has the style of an Italian cantilena, but this is not a Chopinesque imitation; the melody was … Continue reading →

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Wild Hunt – Wilde Jagd – Liszt

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Christine Stevenson

The sound of galloping horses must have been one of the background noises of the nineteenth century. They gallop through the music of the period, too – through Schubert’s Erlkönig, Schumann’s Wilder Reiter and through Liszt’s Wilde Jagd, but here … Continue reading →

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