Liszt: Années de pèlerinage II, S.161

Introduction

This is the second set in Franz Liszt's triology, Années de Pèlerinage ("Years of Pilgrimage" or "Years of Travel"). Like its predecessor, it is comprised of pieces inspired by Liszt's travels with his lover, Marie d'Agoult, throughout Italy and Switzerland in the period, 1835-39. Unlike its predecessor, it does not depict scenes from the country in reference, but rather impressions of its artworks. Published in 1858, Liszt composed the pieces in the period, 1837-49.

The composer wrote Sposalizio (Wedding Ceremony) with Raphael's painting, The Marriage of the Virgin, in mind. The piece is not so much a depiction of this artwork, which he had seen in Milan, but his reaction to its beauty. Liszt invests this work with a lovely melody and develops it along conventional lines as it reaches a fullness and sense of arrival. His harmonies are a bit unusual and the mood is generally quite intimate.

Michelangelo's statue atop the tomb of Lorenzo de Medici in the San Lorenzo Church in Florence inspired Liszt to write Il Pensieroso (The Thinker). The composer quotes from a Michelangelo sonnet in the preface to the piece, as well. This is a ponderous work, as one might expect, but its harmonies presage Wagner from Tristan und Isolde and its barrenness and gloom foreshadow Liszt's own late period of three decades later. The Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa was inspired by a poem attributed to Salvator Rosa, a 17th-century painter. Its unhurried gait and chipper theme, borrowed from Bononcini, combine to create an air of nonchalance and lightness.

The three Petrarch Sonnets (Sonetto 47 del Petrarca, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca and Sonetto 123 del Petrarca) are derived from songs Liszt wrote for tenor voice in 1838-39. The composer then transcribed them for piano, but the versions here come from perhaps a decade or so after the originals. Each one of the three is preceded by a quote from the Sonnet in reference. The first piece is naturally songful, but also sad in its sweet outpourings of love. Its slow tempo and sometimes somber harmonies keep the music from expressing the overwrought emotions expressed in the second one. The Sonetto 104 del Petrarca is probably the most popular of the three and one of the most often played in the Italian set or in any of the three sets. Its melody has a fiery emotional quality, perfect for conveying its theme of unfulfilled love. The third of the Sonnets is subdued like the first, and features harmonies found in both the others. It is a lovely, gentle piece, and the longest of the three.

Après une lecture du Dante (Fantasia Quasi Sonata), also known as the Dante Sonata, is the kind of demonic piece that Liszt became so famous for. The main title of the work (After a reading of Dante) comes from a Victor Hugo poem and was appropriated by Liszt to depict images inspired by readings of Dante by himself and Marie d'Agoult. This is the longest piece in this or any of the three sets. In the slow introduction we hear the demonic interval of the tritone repeatedly, thereafter the work developing intensity and much drama, the rich, almost orchestral-sounding colors coming from a mixture of blazing virtuosity and deft pianistic effects, as if the inveterate transcriber Liszt were reducing a larger work to the keyboard. The music is not without its lovely moments, but drama and darkness dominate this grim work.

Parts/Movements

1. Sposalizio
2. Il penseroso
3. Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
4. Sonetto 47 del Petrarca (from S158/1)
5. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (from S158/2)
6. Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (S158/3)
7. Après une lecture de Dante (Dante Sonata), fantasia quasi sonata