It is so gratifying to hear about the innovations of Liszt and the fact that he was so far ahead of his time, even further than Wagner. Liszt is still to this day not appreciated as much as he should and is grossly misunderstood. He truly embodies the spirit of Romanticism but also predicts with terrifying accuracy the future of musical harmonic language. He is the true God of music in my opinion.
To be fair, several areas throughout the work sound like small paraphrases and variations on the orchestral music within Parsifal and Tristan. Particularly the third acts of each opera.
A fantastic talk about Liszt's most idiosyncratic work! The first time I became truly familiar with Via Crucis was via Reinbert de Leeuw's piano-choir recording with the Netherlands Chamber Choir. I bought it from Amazon almost by chance - but it was a true revelation. I can't recommend it highly enough! Absolutely perfect in every way - in general I don't believe in perfection, but I struggle to describe this recoding in any other way. Thank you, Maestro de Leeuw! Find that recording! You won't believe your ears!
I agree completely about the superb 1984 recording. And now (2019), astonishingly, de Leeuw has made a second recording of the voices & piano version (Alpha CD), and it is wonderful too! Somewhat brisker than that earlier version - about 12 minutes shorter - and all the vocal parts, choral and solo, are taken by an ensemble of just 16 voices, the excellent Collegium Vocale Gent (the Netherlands CC version used a choir of 21, plus 4 soloists). There is an aura of intimate contemplation that is unique in my experience of this work, and truly special. Not to be missed, even if you have the earlier version. I add my thanks to Maestro de Leeuw, both for the recordings and for this enlightening video. :)
Incredible video of an extraordinary work. It always shocks me when I meet someone who even knows the existence of this work as it has lived so long in the very outer fringes of classical music. Via Crucis in the various versions will always be one of my favorite works. This is a fantastic primer into late Liszt.
One of the best music analysis videos on You Tube! I can't wait to dig deeper into this Masterpiece and I'm wondering why many later critics and historians have critisised Liszt's late period for not containing a real Masterpiece! As for maestro de Leeuw, it is so admirable to see someone so intimately connected to the music and dedicated to it - spent over three decades exploring Via Crucis!
Imagine, Liszt was far more modern than Max Reger a few years later.... Late Liszt sounds more like Jean Langlais and Messiaen but with much more deep inner feeling and soul!
A wonderful analysis, but I think Reinbert de Leeuw may be underplaying (as it were!) Liszt's projection of the complex and personal implications of the the passion and death of Christ without which this work would have been inconceivable. It seems to me Liszt's intent started with his religious faith: how we interpret his music to go "beyond" religion is perhaps a modern conceit.
To be fair, several areas throughout the work sound like small paraphrases and variations on the orchestral music within Parsifal and Tristan. Particularly the third acts of each opera. Almost no one listens to Parsifal for the pseudo-religious prose of the story, and I would assume most musicians do not play this work attempting to find the numinous. What the work does do, is play with a listener or player’s imagination.
It is so gratifying to hear about the innovations of Liszt and the fact that he was so far ahead of his time, even further than Wagner. Liszt is still to this day not appreciated as much as he should and is grossly misunderstood. He truly embodies the spirit of Romanticism but also predicts with terrifying accuracy the future of musical harmonic language. He is the true God of music in my opinion.
🤘🔥
To be fair, several areas throughout the work sound like small paraphrases and variations on the orchestral music within Parsifal and Tristan. Particularly the third acts of each opera.
What a fantastic narration of this wonderful composition by the master!
A fantastic talk about Liszt's most idiosyncratic work! The first time I became truly familiar with Via Crucis was via Reinbert de Leeuw's piano-choir recording with the Netherlands Chamber Choir. I bought it from Amazon almost by chance - but it was a true revelation. I can't recommend it highly enough! Absolutely perfect in every way - in general I don't believe in perfection, but I struggle to describe this recoding in any other way. Thank you, Maestro de Leeuw!
Find that recording! You won't believe your ears!
I agree completely about the superb 1984 recording. And now (2019), astonishingly, de Leeuw has made a second recording of the voices & piano version (Alpha CD), and it is wonderful too! Somewhat brisker than that earlier version - about 12 minutes shorter - and all the vocal parts, choral and solo, are taken by an ensemble of just 16 voices, the excellent Collegium Vocale Gent (the Netherlands CC version used a choir of 21, plus 4 soloists). There is an aura of intimate contemplation that is unique in my experience of this work, and truly special. Not to be missed, even if you have the earlier version. I add my thanks to Maestro de Leeuw, both for the recordings and for this enlightening video. :)
Incredible video of an extraordinary work. It always shocks me when I meet someone who even knows the existence of this work as it has lived so long in the very outer fringes of classical music. Via Crucis in the various versions will always be one of my favorite works. This is a fantastic primer into late Liszt.
its always refreshing to hear a master's insight on a rare piece
Wonderful interpretation and insights! Thank you Reinbert.
One of the best music analysis videos on You Tube! I can't wait to dig deeper into this Masterpiece and I'm wondering why many later critics and historians have critisised Liszt's late period for not containing a real Masterpiece!
As for maestro de Leeuw, it is so admirable to see someone so intimately connected to the music and dedicated to it - spent over three decades exploring Via Crucis!
10:37 - 22:38
Prefigures Verklarte Nacht by 2 decades
RIP maestro
Imagine, Liszt was far more modern than Max Reger a few years later.... Late Liszt sounds more like Jean Langlais and Messiaen but with much more deep inner feeling and soul!
Rip
A wonderful analysis, but I think Reinbert de Leeuw may be underplaying (as it were!) Liszt's projection of the complex and personal implications of the the passion and death of Christ without which this work would have been inconceivable. It seems to me Liszt's intent started with his religious faith: how we interpret his music to go "beyond" religion is perhaps a modern conceit.
He mentions this, and to my mind, clearly indicates that, as an atheist, he is not qualified to discuss this aspect of the work in any depth.
To be fair, several areas throughout the work sound like small paraphrases and variations on the orchestral music within Parsifal and Tristan. Particularly the third acts of each opera. Almost no one listens to Parsifal for the pseudo-religious prose of the story, and I would assume most musicians do not play this work attempting to find the numinous. What the work does do, is play with a listener or player’s imagination.