Notes and Editorial Reviews
LISZT
Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième Année, Italie
(complete).
Première Année: Au la de Wallenstadt; Au bord d’une source. Troisième Année: Les Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este
•
Christine Stevenson (pn)
•
RFZ 69301 (67:56)
To the many fine recordings of individual books of
Années de pèlerinage
that have appeared over the
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past year or so, the Australian pianist Christine Stevenson has contributed a complete Book 2, along with three water-themed pieces from Books 1 and 3. Stevenson’s scrupulous observation of the subtlest indications in Liszt’s score, combined with a heightened sensitivity to his voice-leading, allows her to point up many details that often go unnoticed.
Sposalizio
and
Il Penseroso
, those responses to Raphael and Michelangelo respectively, have cohesion and sweep, everywhere tinged with poetry. The
Canzonetta del Salvatore Rosa
is taken a bit slower than customary, though it maintains a jaunty swagger consistent with its
Andante marziale
marking and never drags. Stevenson’s passionately eloquent approach to the three Petrarch Sonnets is especially persuasive. In all three, she displays a fine feel for the melodies’ Italianate inflections, while realizing all the implications of their rich harmonic underpinning. The delicately fluid
tempi rubati
seem to grow organically from Petrarch’s texts.
Stevenson’s technique is equal to the formidable demands of
Après une Lecture de Dante
, the largest of the
Années
’ 26 pieces both structurally and technically. Here as elsewhere, Stevenson’s interpretive choices seem entirely her own, partaking refreshingly little of received wisdom. Drama might have been heightened by allowing greater space to the recitative passages that punctuate the score. Conceptually speaking, however, this
Dante Sonata
is always thoughtful, proportionate, and never less than effective. Unfortunately, it is also the piece that suffers most from the recording’s chief drawback, a boxed-in and artificial piano sound. It is difficult to know whether to blame the room, poor microphone placement, or indifferent engineering. One never escapes the impression that Stevenson’s full color palette and dynamic spectrum are not adequately portrayed. Fortunately, her artistic execution and the strength of her musical ideas come very near to disguising this flaw. Listening to her noble interpretation of the
Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este
, for instance, one is likely to forget it entirely.
FANFARE: Patrick Rucker
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Works on This Recording
1.
Années de pèlerinage, première année, S 160 "Suisse": no 4, Au bord d'une source by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Christine Stevenson (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848-1854; Weimar, Germany
2.
Années de pèlerinage, première année, S 160 "Suisse": no 2, Au lac de Wallenstadt by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Christine Stevenson (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848-1854; Weimar, Germany
3.
Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année, S 161 "Italie" by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Christine Stevenson (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1837-1849; Weimar, Germany
4.
Années de pèlerinage no 3, S 163: no 4, Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Christine Stevenson (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867-1877; Rome, Italy
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