Franz Liszt Bicentenary - 2011

Franz Liszt

The bicentenary of the birth of Franz Liszt is an opportunity to restore him to his rightful place as a giant of twentieth-century music. His reputation as a vulgar showman has too often served to obscure his real and monumental achievement as one of the greatest and most original composers of the 19th century. In fact, Liszt created or anticipated many of the significant trends of the music of the later 19th and earlier 20th century. His openness to other artists and his belief in one’s duty to fellow men and women compelled him to use his enormous influence to promote the music of some of the most forward-looking composers amongst his contemporaries, who in turn influenced him.

Bruce Vogt will present a series of three recitals in honour of what would be Liszt's 200th birthday. These three programmes are a celebration of Liszt's wide-ranging, powerful, and ultimately very moving achievement, and are structured in such a way that together they represent a full portrait of his artistic personality. However, each programme is in itself a complete vision of an aspect of his work. Presenters may choose one to three of the programmes, customized to include any of the following works:

I: THE POWER OF VIRTUOSITY
Réminiscences de Norma (1841); Liebesträume #3 (c. 1850); Widmung (1848); Ricordanza from Études d’exécution transcendante (1851); Hungarian Rhapsody #13 in a minor (c. 1845); Historical Hungarian Portrait #7 (1877); Variationen über das Motiv von Bach (1862): Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

II: SPIRITUAL VISIONS
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (1834); Harmonies du Soir from Études d’exécution transcendante (1851); St. Francis d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux from Deux Légendes (c.1863); Aux Cyprès de la Villa d'Este No 1: Thrénodie and Les Jeux d’Eau à la Villa d’Este from Années de Pèlerinage III (c. 1877); Impromptu (1872); Resignazione (c. 1877); Schlaflos! Frage und Antwort (1883); Sursum Corda from Années de Pèlerinage III; Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (1847-52)

III. “EXUBERANCE OF HEART TO BITTERNESS OF HEART”
Années de Pèlerinage II: Italie (1858) (complete); Paraphrase of Waltz from Gounod's Faust (1861); Two Csárdás: Csárdás & Csárdás obstinée (1884); Two Valses oubliées (1881-5); Mephisto Waltz #4: Bagatelle sans tonalité (1883-85); Elegie: Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth (1880)

Bruce will also be releasing two CDs of the music of Liszt for the bicentenary of this great composer. The first CD includes the complete Années de Pèlerinage, Volume II: Italie and selections from the third volume. The second CD includes major works from throughout Liszt's career, including the powerful Réminiscences de Norma and his ecstatic religious visionary work Bénédiction de Dieu dans le Solitude.