
Franz Liszt
Bach, trans. Liszt: Prelude in A minor

Schubert/Liszt: Standchen
It is in his transcriptions of Franz Schubert’s songs that Liszt’s fine art of transcription reaches its apogee. He transcribed some 60 of Schubert’s songs for solo piano and in doing so helped popularise the then obscure works of Schubert, quickly elevating them to the position of popular concert pieces where they remain today. Liszt’s Schubert transcriptions are not simple “arrangements” of the original songs: many of the works consist of two or three piano accompaniments and one line of melody or a doubling of the melodic line, yet without any paraphrasing or free fantasies. Such is Liszt’s skill he is able to present music which is pianistically “totally Liszt”, yet retains the core melodic and emotional depth of these works, so that the essence of the composer is captured with all the lyrical beauty and of Schubert’s original. As Liszt intentionally preserved all the details of the original songs, the transcriptions present challenges for the pianist, such as how to produce a beautiful vocal line and convey the meaning of the song’s words on the piano, as well as interpretive aspects such as ornamentation and style. In Standchen (Serenade) from the Schwanengesang, or the Ave Maria, for example, the tantalizing beauty which Liszt imbues in this music is the finest testament of Schubert’s immense gift for melody – and Liszt’s sensitive and respectful appreciation of it.
Schubert/Liszt: Litanei
In his Paraphrases and Reminiscences, Liszt offers a re-interpretation based on thematic material drawn from the original source, his best known being based on operas by Verdi. These are not simple transcriptions or “opera medleys” but rather Liszt takes the principal elements of the opera and creates a new art work. And in doing so pays tribute to the original. Just as in the song transcriptions Liszt seeks to evoke sonorities of both voices and orchestra, challenging the performer’s sense of drama, colour and imagination in unique ways.
Liszt/Verdi: Paraphrase on Rigoletto