It's really neat to see Liszt's early version of these pieces. It proves that music is a living, breathing thing, and if composers had infinite amounts of time, they could easily revisit and revise all their works. Perhaps it can serve as an inspiration for us to play this music more freely.
I have read about a late version of the sonnets, that is radically different from the previous versions (as written in Wikipedia, Liszt took away anything that would remind of romanticism). Is anyone familiar with them?
I haven’t, there are the original songs, then these piano versions, then S.161/4-6 which are revised versions of these. What Searle index would these “late versions” be? I have not heard of this.
@@TheModicaLiszt I know, and after searching unsuccessfully I came here. I have read somewhere else (I can’t recall the source now), that this late version is being mentioned as an example of Liszt deteriorating the quality of a composition (I’m sceptical about this opinion). I have the impression that they were suppressed by people in his circle, or smth. I might be wrong though.
If you are referring to the late(r) version for piano accompanying a low solo voice -- baritone or mezzo-soprano -- these are referenced (rather negatively) in Leslie Howard's notes above. They are certainly far more reflective and "old" than the passionate spontaneity of the well-known original version for tenor voice and piano. Charles Rosen offers a strong case for them in one of his books, and several outstanding baritones have recorded them with success, including Philippe Huttenlocher, Hermann Prey, Konrad Jarnot and Gerald Finley (in the Hyperion series). There is an unfortunate "tradition" of baritones singing the tenor version transposed down, which I never find really convincing (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau set a dubious example here). At any rate, the early and late voice-and-piano versions make for a fascinating comparison; I actually find the latter versions quite beautiful, if a good deal less showy than the former; something similar might be said for the first and second versions of Liszt's 3 Songs from Schiller's William Tell.
Either Spotify is wrong, or the name is misleading, but eitherway, Benedetto sia'l giorno has yet another version, where there is soprano in it. I can't seem to find sheet music for it on TH-cam
The first version of the 3 songs, for tenor voice and piano, has often been sung by sopranos an octave up -- among them Margaret Price, Diana Damrau and Rebecca Evans. This certainly works a lot better than the deplorable practice of baritones singing the first version transposed down, rather than Liszt's revised version for low voice.
Not that anyone's interested in my opinion. But I think the earlier version of 104 is better than the later, the two versions of 47 are equally good, and the later version of 123 is better.
![Franz Liszt - Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata [Early version], S.158c (Filipec)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZVslIit_9VE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Franz Liszt - Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata [Early version], S.158c (Filipec)](/img/tr.png)
It's really neat to see Liszt's early version of these pieces. It proves that music is a living, breathing thing, and if composers had infinite amounts of time, they could easily revisit and revise all their works. Perhaps it can serve as an inspiration for us to play this music more freely.
Yes indeed :)
I always improvise on all of Liszts pieces. It comes naturally
The early-version compositions of Liszt always make me feel excited! 😆😆
We are deflected by music every bit as valid as their final incarnations, I feel :)
I have read about a late version of the sonnets, that is radically different from the previous versions (as written in Wikipedia, Liszt took away anything that would remind of romanticism). Is anyone familiar with them?
I haven’t, there are the original songs, then these piano versions, then S.161/4-6 which are revised versions of these. What Searle index would these “late versions” be? I have not heard of this.
@@TheModicaLiszt I know, and after searching unsuccessfully I came here. I have read somewhere else (I can’t recall the source now), that this late version is being mentioned as an example of Liszt deteriorating the quality of a composition (I’m sceptical about this opinion). I have the impression that they were suppressed by people in his circle, or smth. I might be wrong though.
@@thanasis_milios I have no clue. Interesting if true. Please feel free to reply if you find more information :)
If you are referring to the late(r) version for piano accompanying a low solo voice -- baritone or mezzo-soprano -- these are referenced (rather negatively) in Leslie Howard's notes above. They are certainly far more reflective and "old" than the passionate spontaneity of the well-known original version for tenor voice and piano. Charles Rosen offers a strong case for them in one of his books, and several outstanding baritones have recorded them with success, including Philippe Huttenlocher, Hermann Prey, Konrad Jarnot and Gerald Finley (in the Hyperion series). There is an unfortunate "tradition" of baritones singing the tenor version transposed down, which I never find really convincing (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau set a dubious example here). At any rate, the early and late voice-and-piano versions make for a fascinating comparison; I actually find the latter versions quite beautiful, if a good deal less showy than the former; something similar might be said for the first and second versions of Liszt's 3 Songs from Schiller's William Tell.
Either Spotify is wrong, or the name is misleading, but eitherway, Benedetto sia'l giorno has yet another version, where there is soprano in it. I can't seem to find sheet music for it on TH-cam
They were songs before transcribed for the piano.
@@TheModicaLiszt Thanks
The first version of the 3 songs, for tenor voice and piano, has often been sung by sopranos an octave up -- among them Margaret Price, Diana Damrau and Rebecca Evans. This certainly works a lot better than the deplorable practice of baritones singing the first version transposed down, rather than Liszt's revised version for low voice.
Not that anyone's interested in my opinion. But I think the earlier version of 104 is better than the later, the two versions of 47 are equally good, and the later version of 123 is better.