CELEBRATING LISZT AT CARNEGIE HALL (1/29/2011)

More than ever, arts organizations are reaching out to audiences to provide opportunities for them to enrich their concert experiences.  One of the ways Carnegie Hall is doing this is through an event called "Discovery Day."   The particular Discovery Day event on January 29th focused on Franz Liszt and featured a "keynote address," piano recital, dramatic reading, voice/piano concert, and concluding discussion.

The keynote address by Alan Walker (who had spoken at Mannes the previous day) dealt with Liszt the man, his character and personality.  Walker emphasized Liszt's diplomatic skill and peppered his talk with numerous examples. When Liszt was in Russia giving a recital, Czar Nicholas entered late and continued talking to his companions even though Liszt was performing.  Liszt stopped playing and announced to the audience that when the Czar spoke, music itself should be silent.

Walker cited the numerous ways Liszt demonstrated his fervent belief that art functions best when it is in the service of a worthy cause.  He performed in hospitals and at mental institutions and, indeed, was quite vocal about the horrible conditions at these institutions.  He planned and brought to life many festivals in support of various causes and other composers.  His master classes became legendary and he refused any compensation except that he expected the participants to be fully prepared.

Liszt traveled thousands of miles in his life, usually in service to others and usually traveling second class coach.  He always personally responded to letters and kindnesses extended to him.  11,000 such letters of thanks and support exist! 

While living in Weimar, Liszt helped found organizations in support of music such as the Allgemeine deutsche Verein, serving as its president for 25 years.  The Royal Academy of Music in Budapest called him to be its director and he reluctantly accepted on the condition that he be allowed to revise its curriculum.  Ever averse to music schools that were mere performance mills, Liszt expected all students to be composers, improvisers and performers.

Walker is a Liszt apologist and advocate extraordinaire.  He has done much to balance the view of Liszt as a "19th century rock star" living a life that was basically tabloid fodder. It is ironic that a few days later a music critic for the New York Times headed her review as follows: 

Liszt, the Chick Magnet, Tickled Ivories and More

A piano recital by young pianist Gregory DeTurk brilliantly overviewed the many facets of Liszt's piano music:  Virtuosity (Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F minor) Travel ("Au bord d'une source") Opera (Reminiscences de Norma) Patriotism (Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E major) Religion (Legende No. 2:  St. Francis de Paule marchant sur les flots)  Prophet ("Bagatelle ohne Tonart" and "Unstern! Sinistre, disastro")  The transcendental etude was performed with technical brilliance but also with tremendous poetry, nodding to one of its models,Chopin's Etude in F minor.  The choice of the humorous and clever Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 was an excellent one.  The two final "prophetic works" were performed with conviction and outstanding timing.  Mr. DeTurk's performance was uniformly outstanding.

A dramatic reading by three actors movingly traced Liszt's life and career through the letters and writings of Liszt and many of the people in his life.

Following a break to socialize, soprano Angela Meade and pianist Bradley Moore (the assistant conductor of the Metropolitan Opera) presented a stunning overview of Liszt's music for voice and piano with songs in Italian (Tre sonetti di Petrarca), English (Go not, happy day), French (Enfant,si j'etais and Comment, disaint-ils) and German (Drei Lieder aus Schillers Wilhelm Tell).  The coloration, technical brilliance and interpretive skill the performers brought to each work was a joy to hear.  The audience demanded an encore which the performers provided with Liszt's famous "O quand je dors"

This long but outstanding afternoon concluded with a discussion moderated by the Director of Artistic Planning at Carnegie Hall Jeremy Geffen, Alan Walker and eminent scholar and pianist Charles Rosen.  The main topic posed by Geffen was Liszt's tendency to "recycle' his music and the music of others and what it said about him as a composer. 

The session got off to a rocky but humorous start when, after Geffen gave a rather lengthy comment to elaborate on his question, Rosen announced that as he did not have his hearing aid on he did not hear a word Geffen had said.  So Geffen had to repeat an abridged version of his comment and questions.  Rosen and Walker respectfully disagreed with each other on several points, such as the presence of musical "kitsch" in Liszt's Sonata in B minor (Rosen said yes and Walker said no). 

Rosen, though looking quite feeble, managed to get to the piano a couple of times to play some examples, one where Liszt transformed a Chopin mazurka into a nocturne. Rosen commented that Liszt's Don Juan Fantasy (on themes from Mozart's Don Giovanni) perfectly captures the 19th century perception of this work and brilliantly captures DG's descent into hell. 

Rosen and Walker had a major disagreement about Liszt's Faust Symphony.  Rosen contends that the Liszt's orchestration of the work has some weaknesses and that his two-piano transcription is much better.  Walker countered that Liszt's  orchestration was not really understood (the work did not have much of a performance history until  Sir Thomas Beecham studied it carefully and produced what Walker considers to be a correct and vital view of Liszt's intentions).  Rosen did not seem convinced.  It was interesting to see such highly regarded scholars respectfully spar at each other.  Liszt would probably have enjoyed it.