PIANO MUSIC - Abeille Musique

evening as the play for which it was intended. In the end, Liszt revised the Prometheus work
thoroughly, transforming the overture into what we now know as the independent symphonic
poem Prometheus. The symphonic poem could still serve as an overture to the choruses, which
were now punctuated with a poetic oration by Richard Pohl to get through the gist of Herder's
play in indecent haste to allow room for well over an hour of music. Amongst the choral
sections of the work, the Reapers' Chorus proved instantly popular and Liszt issued versions of
it for piano solo and for piano duet. Among an output so vast as Liszt's it is perhaps an
inevitable pity that this attractive trifle has fallen into oblivion.
Quite why Liszt described Weber's music to Preciosa as an opera must remain a mystery -
indeed, the shape of the piece is not greatly different from Liszt's Prometheus Choruses - but
we can only thank him for bringing this charming aria to our attention.
At one time, Liszt's often witty interpretation of the famed Mendelssohn Wedding March was a
regular recital war-horse. It could be that familiarity with Mendelssohn's original - not to
mention innumerable versions of bits of it encountered in so many parish churches and
Hollywood films - has stifled interest. But the idea of performing this work, along with Liszt's
fiendish arrangement of the Introduction to Act III and Bridal March from Lohengrin at a
marriage ceremony remains a Schwarzenplan of the present writer. Liszt furnishes
Mendelssohn's work with a ghostly, almost satirical introduction, and then a rather light-hearted
version of the main material before he gets to the piece proper. Then the main section is subject
to variation whenever it reappears. Mendelssohn's first interlude is faithfully transcribed, but the
F major section with its flowing theme ends up flowing into very strange harmonic waters in
order to prepare for the interpolation of the Dance of the Elves. Liszt is loth to let go the elvish
music, so he allows it to permeate the return of the march before the triumphant coda is given a
triumphalist transcription.
Liszt's elaborations of three works by Eduard Lassen call for some special comment. Lassen
(1830-1904) succeeded Liszt as Kapellmeister at the Weimar court in 1858, and held the post
until 1895. As well as the works presented here, Liszt made transcriptions of two of Lassens's
songs. Lassen, who was an ardent Lisztophile and Wagnerite (as one can instantly tell from his
music) was responsible for several of the chamber-music versions of Liszt's later works which
have come down to us as Liszt's own because he used Lassen's version as the basis for his own
revisions. Now sadly relegated to one of the footnotes to the history of music, Lassen is almost
unrepresented in print or on record except in Liszt's transcriptions.
As the title suggests, the Symphonic Intermezzo is a large-scale orchestral work. Its
long-flowing melodies are constructed from smaller cells, and Liszt sometimes sequentially
extends the material in the way characteristic of his later works. The proud opening music leads
to an 'Andante amoroso' and an absolutely splendid and memorable melody which is worked
out at some length. The final section of the work, Feierlich ruhig ('Proudly peaceful'), opens
with a series of chords and arpeggios which recall the prelude to Parsifal, and this passage
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