Franz Liszt - Hunnenschlacht (1857) Symphonic Poem, No. 11
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2019
- Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferencz, in modern usage Liszt Ferenc 22 October 1811 - 31 July 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, organist, philanthropist, author, nationalist and a Franciscan tertiary during the Romantic era.
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Hunnenschlacht, S.105, Symphonic Poem No. 11 (1855-57)
Dedication: Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1819-87)
the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Ginandrea Noseda
Hunnenschlacht (The Battle of the Huns), S.105, is a symphonic poem, written in 1857 after a painting of the same name by Wilhelm von Kaulbach. Liszt conducted the premiere himself in Weimar on 29 December 1857.
The painting depicts the battle of the Catalaunian Fields around 20 June 451 AD, where the Hun armies led by Attila fought a savage battle against a Roman coalition led by Roman General Flavius Aëtius and the Visigothic king Theodoric. According to legend, the battle was so ferocious that the souls of the dead warriors continued their fighting in the sky as they rose to Heaven.
The first section of the piece, marked Tempestuoso, allegro non troppo carries Liszt's instruction: "Conductors: the entire colour should be kept very dark, and all instruments must sound like ghosts."[2] Liszt achieves much of this effect by scoring the entire string section to play with mutes, even in fortissimo passages. This section depicts an atmosphere of foreboding and suppressed rage before the battle breaks out.
The second section, Più mosso, begins with a "Schlachtruf" (battle cry) in the horns, which is then taken up by the strings. The main battle theme is then stated, a fully formed version of material from the very opening. This entire section makes use of the so-called gypsy scale, which Liszt frequently used in his Hungarian-themed compositions. In this section Liszt introduces an unusual effect: against the current of the raucous battle music in the rest of the orchestra, the trombones play the ancient plainchant melody "Crux fidelis". Liszt's own description of this section was of "two opposing streams of light in which the Huns and the Cross are moving."
The "Crux fidelis" theme is later taken up by the strings in a quiet, peaceful contrasting section. The music grows in intensity, eventually including an organ and offstage brass section, and it ends triumphantly.
Link to the painting
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunnens... - เพลง
I've no clue why liszt symphonic poems are way underperformed in the concert hall. We all know Les Preludes, because its probably his most tuneful and accessible. But how about is first offering?. I believe the shortened name is Bergsymphonie. Its a thirty minute epic, and contains some great music. Never seen it in the concert halls. And not that many recordings of it either. Considering the man invented the genre, he seems to get little recognition for it.
Agreed, the neglect of Liszt's symphonic poems and his two masterful symphonies, which were THE pinnacle of the era, is appalling. Nothing came close to Liszt's Faust and Dante symphonies.
@@richdisilvio4591 Mr. DiSilivio it brings me so much joy to see you here. I just finished reading your novel Liszt’s Dante Symphony and as a long time admirer of Liszt and a composer myself I must say your grasp of music and history are remarkable and I found the experience of reading your novel such an utter delight, and for a composer and Liszt fanatic it is an incomparable rarity to stumble on such a literary gem as the Dante Symphony. I must say I’ve always been partial to the Faust Symphony but I just want to express my gratitude towards you for such an accomplishment of the pen and I hope that perhaps Liszt may serve as inspiration for some of your future projects.
@@kingofstringz1000 Mr. Allen, Thank you very much. You brought a smile to my face. I’m glad you enjoyed the novel, I certainly enjoyed writing it. Although I admire many lofty souls, Liszt holds a special place in my heart with only a select few.
It’s interesting that you hoped I would incorporate Liszt into other works, because I have. He actually appears in many of my books in some form. Since you like historical fiction, try “A Blazing Gilded Age”. Liszt and his works are featured, along with many famous titans of that era.
In the interim, feel free to watch my video LISZT: Enigmatic Genius th-cam.com/video/D0PgMk8Ngd8/w-d-xo.html It touches upon key points of his spectacular career.
Well, I thank you again for your kind words. And if you can post a rating on Amazon for “Liszt’s Dante Symphony” that would be greatly appreciated. Best wishes, and feel free to contact me anytime via my website.
I think it's a shame virtually all of his non-piano music is neglected in the concert hall. We all love his famous piano showpieces, but I find his orchestral work far more appealing and interesting.
Ah yes... 'Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne'., after Hugo's poem. And if you like the program of that symphonic poem, you should compare with another gem, Franck's own version which actually predates Liszt's.
The cymbals at 4:36 and later are pretty sick
Also the ending with de organ is one of my favorite endings of Liszt’s symphony poems
I saw this conductor in Toronto a few years ago doing the Verdi Requiem. Quite something. Great performance.
According to Howard Goodall, the Organ part in this piece has the instruction, "If it's not louder than the whole Orchestra, don't bother." LOL!!
Yes, it is interesting how one should interpret the first section in straight time, then switching to alla breve. I've heard many different version. Noseda's cycle as such is a bit uneven.
Beat me to it! Awesome piece.
Holy hell. With headphones, that first part blew my socks off. Incredibly powerful and imposing music - easily rivals Wagner in that department. And the E major section and the Crux Fidelis theme accompanied by light strings tremolo are beauties of the highest order. I can't fathom how this is so severely underplayed, this is on par with Les Preludes and Mazeppa. It's probably because of the organ, but then again, things like the 8th Symphony by Mahler are so ubiquitous and hackneyed in concert halls and it requires a much larger ensemble than this...
For a better performance try th-cam.com/video/HZ4Cv0K6eIs/w-d-xo.html
Mahler 8 is hackneyed? You should get your ears cleaned LOL.
But I get what you're saying.
@@FreakieFan It is hackneyed and ubiquitous. Do you know why? Because megalomaniac conductors love to use Mahler’s music as a vehicle for their own self-aggrandizement. Just think about how much you can pantomime and wallow in your inflated ego in front of a 1 hour plus symphonic tour de force with lots of bombastic tuttis and a legion of musicians laboriously trying to make sense of it all while you make dramatic gestures with a baton. As for the quality of Mahler’s music: everyone is free to convince me that it’s not just very nicely dressed up note-spinning. Maybe you’re right and something is wrong with me, but I’ve been trying to stomach Mahler for the better part of my life and I’m not getting there. Trust me, I've tried. I would much rather welcome pieces like Bizet’s Roma Symphony, Karlowicz’s E-major Symphony, Gliere’s Second Symphony and Strauss’ Aus Italien to be heard more often in concert halls.
@@Kris9kris
Yes, there is something wrong with you. I am glad you see that. Self-reflection is a powerful character-trait.
@@FreakieFan Well, then I better not let my condition worsen by listening to any more Mahler. I consider myself absolved.
Bravo bravo bravo fantastic brilliance grandiose genial music super super super wow wow wow
Please turn ads off for this video. Interrupting this piece is just criminal.
Just get youtube premium. Without it adds are everywhere if you like it or not.
@@FocusMrbjarke Yeah just check the modern wages in the nation Liszt was born in and you will understand that that is not doable for most of his fellow countrymen. The uploader earns money from a piece he didn't compose, which is disgusting.
MARAVILHOSO!!!!
6:28 14:35 Glorious
This is amazing.
The final✨✨✨😍😍
So beautiful
GooooooooooooooooooOOOOOooOOOoOoOoOD !!!!!!!!
King Theodoric of the Visigoths was killed mid-battle and the warriors crowned his son Thorismund on the spot, as he was the best fighter among his brothers. He lead a decisive charge in which he flanked both the Ostrogoths and subsequently the Huns and snatched the victory from his enemies. Later, the roman general Aetius and a faction of Visigothic nobles, including Thorismund's brothers, would plot his murder. One of his servants strangled him while he was bedridden and sick.
Attila's was not completly defeated in this battle, as the roman-gothic contingent allowed him to flee with a portion of his army, for reasons uncertain. He had prepared a giant bonfire where he was to immolate himself in case the enemy came close to capturing him. Nevertheless, this is a defeat which the Huns would never recovered from, and it was not long after that their empire would crumble.
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Most likely Wagner composed his Ride of the Valkyries with this in the back of his head.
He did not. Since "Die Walküre" was finished by 1857 when Liszt wrote this. However "Tristan" is heavily indebted to Liszt's "Hamlet".
Die Walküre was composed _before_ this piece.
I'd rather say it inspired 1812 overture. I recognise many similarities, especially at around 6'20'' or 9'00 and afterwards.
@@Quotenwagnerianer Yes, sorry, mixed up Siegfried and Die Walkure. Interesting connection between Hamlet and Tristan. Did Wagner see the score to Hamlet, it was only performed somw 20 years later?
@@ruramikael It is possible. It may not have been performed before the 1876 but it was published in 1861.
An ad came on right berore the climax...
6:08 chorale
It starts off far too slow.
Agreed, Noseda not only ruined the beginning, but overall, he does not know how to interpret Liszt. Others do a much better job. Try th-cam.com/video/HZ4Cv0K6eIs/w-d-xo.html
I personally think that the slow pace makes this music piece better but everyone has their own opinion, of course.
Really good. Lol lolololololololol
So interesting and unperformed piece!
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So THAT's where Waldetoft got the inspiration for composing Hearts of Iron II - Lizst, the Nazi's favourite choice for propaganda music....
Liszt's "Les Preludes" was used for the Deutsche Wochenschau and was as such one of the most famous works in Nazi Germany. You heard the music and the announcer would say "Der Fuhrer Spricht!". Knowing a bit about the person Franz Liszt I would think he would be turning around in his grave if he knew what his music was used for. You can't say that about Richard Wagner though... on the contrary.
@@bartjebartmans I'm pretty sure Wagner would have had to run like Hell to get out of Nazi Germany. His operas are very largely about the abuse of power, and he wasn't a lad to respect authority.
@@bartjebartmans nah, even though Wagner was a vehement antisemite, he wasn't an extremist antisemite. He didn't wish death and destruction on anyone
I don't know about you but I think if the piece ended at 6:45 we wouldn't be missing too much. Liszt's long form structures are somewhat uneven and jumbled; I really don't understand the section where a slow organ lament is interjected with huge orchestral tuttis, and the latter half of the piece apart from this is generally unremarkable. Even the first half sometimes feels like it's getting repetitive, or lacks some amount of effortless flow from one idea to the next, but the textural and musical ideas are more than interesting enough to make up for it. I think the work might get played more if it just ended at 6:45.
I guess you would call this "your opinion", The piece is just right. Fine as it is. I leave it up to the Masters what they wanted to do. What is the use of criticizing this anyways as it is THEIR composition and work. Hell, if he wanted to add an accordion or a barrel organ that was his business. My opinion.
well, I find it interesting that for me personally the best half of the piece is the second half. The piece would lose much of its beauty for me even if it ended at minute 13.
Sean Brown, unfortunately you don't know the history of this ancient battle, as many don't, or the religious significance of the organ parts and latter ending with its beautiful coda. As for the "three" orchestral tuttis, they signify the triumphant victory of the Roman Christians over the barbaric Huns, hence the Holy Trinity...three. Liszt's serious works are very profound in their structuring and import, and nothing is random or superfluous, if the listener is knowledgeable about its sources. Granted, most people today don't know this battle or Liszt's intentions, but I hope this sheds some light on this brilliant work, which BTW is performed much better by other conductors. Try th-cam.com/video/HZ4Cv0K6eIs/w-d-xo.html
This comment is enough to prove that a great deal of orchestra performers are just parrots, which perpetuate all the easy, common-thread but inaccurate (and rather cliched) views on certain composers, while having double standards based on these very criteria.