When Liszt took over the direction of the Court Opera in Weimar, he spent a great deal of time exploring Goethe’s works. He was particularly attracted to the subject-matter of Faust. He used Nikolaus Lenau’s “Faust”, a comprehensive poem in 24 scenes, as the model for his orchestral work in two parts “Episodes from Lenau’s Faust”. The second part, “Dance in the Village Inn”, was originally written for piano solo. He gave this wild piece which builds up to an almost delirious climax the title “Mephisto Waltz”. The piano composition soon spread around the world in its own right and even today is considered to be the quintessential bravura piece. For the first time, a version of the piece that was abridged and simplified by Liszt can be found in the appendix.
Read more about this edition in the Henle Blog.
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Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was a lifelong enthusiast for Goethe’s Faust. He had become acquainted with the tragedy in 1830 while a young man, according to Hector Berlioz: “Liszt visited me yesterday evening. We did not yet know each other. I told him about Goethe’s Faust, which, he confessed to me, he had not read, but about which he soon after became as enthusiastic as … more
About the composer
The most famous piano virtuoso of the nineteenth century is regarded as the most influential artist and composer (with Berlioz, Wagner) of the so-called New German School. His immense musical oeuvre comprises, above all else, works for solo piano, including numerous transcriptions; he also devised the symphonic poem. Important, too, are his sacred and secular choral works and songs.
|1811||Born in Doborján/Raiding (Sopron) on October 22, son of an official in the service of Prince Esterházy. First piano lessons from his father, early first attempts at composition, first public performance at age nine.|
|1822||Relocation of the family to Vienna, studies with Carl Czerny and Antonio Salieri.|
|1823||Relocation of the family to Paris. Composition studies with Ferdinando Paër and Antonín Reicha (1826). Performances in salons, concerts.|
|1824–27||Concert tours through France, to England and Switzerland. Composition of opera paraphrases for piano.|
|1830||Acquaintance with Berlioz, self-study by reading. He becomes Parisian society’sfavourite pianist and piano teacher.|
|1835||He moves to Switzerland with Countess Marie d’Agoult: their first child together, Blandine-Rachel, is born here. He continues concertizing in Paris.|
|from 1839||Continuous concert tours throughout Europe.|
|from 1847||Symphonic poems, including No. 2, “Tasso: lamento e trionfo”; No. 1, “Ce qu‘on entend sur la montagne” (‘Bergsymphonie,’ ‘Mountain Symphony’); “A Faust Symphony in Three Character Pictures”; “A Symphony to Dante’s Divine Comedy” (‘Dante Symphony’); as well as [No. 11], “Hunnenschlacht” (“Battle of the Huns”).|
|1848–61||Kapellmeister in Weimar; he advocates for progressive music (Wagner, Schumann, Berlioz).|
|1857–62||Oratorio, “The Legend of St. Elisabeth.”|
|1861–68||Resident in Rome.|
|1865||Takes minor holy orders.|
|1871||Appointed Hungarian court councilor; he lives in Rome, Weimar, and Budapest.|
|1886||Death in Bayreuth on July 31.|
About the authors
I am sure these new Liszt editions of standard works from the ‘bravura repertoire’ will be well … received.
De schitterende nieuwe Henle is dit stuk meer dan waard. Lenau’s tekst en een illustratie daarvan zijn afgedrukt, alsmede een sterk vereenvoudigde versie die Liszt voor barones Von Meyendorff maakte. Kan ook de amateur een echte Liszt spelen. Heerlijk!