We may not associate Franz Liszt with the art song, but he wrote
a fair number of them – approximately 90 – during his lifetime.
For all their relative inconspicuousness, they reflect his
fearlessness to innovate stylistically and explore multiple
perspectives within a genre.
The 3 Sonneti del Petrarca
rightly draw an immediate connection to the counterparts from
the Années de Pèlerinage; the irony is that the better-known
piano versions are actually transcriptions of Liszt’s own
original songs. But in some ways, that’s more or less where the
similarities end. Recognizable melody aside, the instrumental
and vocal settings of the Sonetti 47 (track 9) show a
fascinating difference in their balance and metamorphosis of
character. Where the piano version opens with a lush cascade
before the appearance of the dreamy melody, the vocal version
essentially does the opposite: Helmut Deutsch’s silky piano
interlude connects seamlessly into Kaufmannn’s entrance, which
evokes both gentleness and rapture. What both settings do have
is their truly Lisztian moments of gripping drama.
Pace
non trovo (track 10) seems to diverge even further: the song’s
opening, especially with the singer’ effective interpretation,
has a theatrical flair-a perfect segue into the emotionally
heightened melody. (The piano transcription’s introduction is
far more brief; the melody also initially takes on a meditative
quality before exploding into pyrotechnics). The duo’s
performance here is not only highly musical but also
illuminating: it shows the degree to which Liszt was inherently
aware of how to maximize the expressive qualities of the voice –
its inflections, its power – much in the way that he understood
how to use the piano’s expressive and virtuosic capabilities.
Kaufmann and Deutsch also present several of the composer’s
settings of the same poems to show how his approach to text
interpretation changed over time. The two versions of Freudvoll
und Leidvoll, though written within a year of each other, could
not serve as a better example. The first setting (track 2),
despite projecting a general air of calm, portrays the contrast
of joy and sorrow in the major and minor key relationships – a
facet captured by Deutsch’s lovely nuances, which also add a
hint of mystery. The second setting (track 3) is far more
animated and agitated. Here, Kaufmannn shines in an exciting and
assertive performance.
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