Liszt: Arabesques - Russian and Hungarian Transcriptions

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's important to realize when it comes to Baroque music, "opus 1" does not mean the first piece of music the composer ever wrote. Rather, it refers to the first music he saw fit to publish. Each published opus consisted of a selection of the best of a large body of manuscript works, many of which would likely have become popular and gained wide circulation prior to appearing in print. Locatelli's Opus 1 concertos are among his very best pieces. They balance instrumental virtuosity with characterful melodic writing better than the Opus 3 concertos, for instance, and they are extremely well played and recorded here. --David Hurwitz --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Arabesques: 1.Solovei
Arabesques: 2. Chanson Bohemienne (Bulakhov)
Arabesques: Autrefois--Romance (Lyubila Ya) (Wielhorsky)
Arabesques: Tarentelle (Dargomizhsky), S483
Arabesques: Galop Russe (Bulhakov), S478ii
Arabesques: Mazurka ('Par Un Amateur De St. Petersbourg')
Arabesques: Prelude A La Polka De Borodine, S207a
Arabesques: Polka By Alexander Porfirevich Borodin
Arabesques: Tarentelle (Opus 12, 1859) (Cui), S482
Arabesques: Rakoczi-Marsch, S244c ('Version Populaire')
Arabesques: Virag Dal (Chant Des Fleurs) (Abranyi), S383a
Arabesques: Spanisches Standchen (Festetics), S487
Arabesques: Valse D'Adele (Zichy), S456
Arabesques: Revive Szegedin! (Szabadi/Massenet), S572
Arabesques: Valse De Concert (Vegh), S430
Arabesques: Bevezetes Es Magyar Indulo (Szechenyi), S573

Amazon.com

It's important to realize when it comes to Baroque music, "opus 1" does not mean the first piece of music the composer ever wrote. Rather, it refers to the first music he saw fit to publish. Each published opus consisted of a selection of the best of a large body of manuscript works, many of which would likely have become popular and gained wide circulation prior to appearing in print. Locatelli's Opus 1 concertos are among his very best pieces. They balance instrumental virtuosity with characterful melodic writing better than the Opus 3 concertos, for instance, and they are extremely well played and recorded here. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Liszt the Philanthropist.......2007-06-24

First of all, the first reviewer's discussion of a Baroque recording clearly indicates that there is an Amazon glitch on this page. If my review appears on other pages, I apologize, and I am discussing the Hyperion label "Arabesques" Liszt recording with Leslie Howard. This is Volume 35 in the massive survey of Liszt's piano music and it contains Liszt's transcriptions of music from lesser-known Russian and Hungarian composers. Some of the earlier versions of these pieces can be found elsewhere on other Volumes, like this one: Liszt: Gaudeamus Igitur; Pièces d'occasion.

Borodin and Cui notwithstanding, Liszt's exploration into Russian music centers mostly on obscure Russian composers: Alyabiev, Bulakhov, Wielhorsky, Dargomizhsky, and Bulhakov (different than Bulakhov). As always, Liszt's transcriptions are impeccable and serve to enhance everything inherently appealing about these salon pieces; the melodic profiles and decorative filigree make an easy passage to the single timbre of the piano. Honestly, these little obscurities are not bad. Bulakhov's "Chanson bohemienne," for instance, is strikingly lyrical. I've found much to praise in the first version of Wielhorsky's "Lyubila ya" and the second version is even more polished. Ultimately, the two winners are the Tarentelle's from Dargomizhsky and Cui. Dargomizhsky's is especially fine, memorable as much for its rhythms as for its thematic material. Cui's "Tarentelle" is fairly large (exceeding 9 minutes) and effuses constant charm.

It's no surprise that Liszt, the champion of all things Hungarian, paid special attention to lesser-known Hungarian composers. While he put the spotlight on Mosonyi and Erkel, there are other benefactors as evidenced on this recording: Abranyi, Festetics, Zichy, Vegh, Szechenyi, and Szabadi. Abranyi's tranquil "Chante des fleurs" or Flower Song is melancholy and entirely pleasing. Originally a song, Abranyi arranged it for piano through which Liszt made his own elaboration and extension, thus resulting in this "transcription." Liszt's interest in Spanish themes (Rapsodie espagnole) is no secret and he brings out the best in Festetic's lovely "Spanish Serenade." The two Valses from Zichy and Vegh are not unique, although Vegh's is a little more impressive, perhaps due to its length (9 minutes) than to any other musical factor. There is more substance in Szechenyi's "Introduction and Hungarian March." Howard comments that through Liszt's efforts "the piece becomes all but an original Hungarian Rhapsody, and resembles very closely the four late Rhapsodies..." Along with the engaging music, the structure, with its slow and solemn introduction and then fast Hungarian-sounding dances, surely evokes the feel of a Hungarian Rhapsody.

Bottom line: While Liszt's own music ideas are scarcely found in any of these transcriptions, his compositional hand is always present. Liszt's high art of transcribing music is usually revered when considering the larger and monumental works: Beethoven's symphonies, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantasique, Wagner etc. Yet Liszt employs the same degree of transcriptional skill in these little Russian and Hungarian pieces. And while he did so for the sake of increasing their popularity, he ends up elevating, I think, their musical value.

fine performance by Raglan Baroque.......2007-02-08

Locatelli's opus 1, 12 Concerti Grossi, published in 1721, follow the great Corelli's 12 Concerti Grossi, developed in the late 17th century and published posthumously in 1714. The concerto grosso form was a group of soloists, usually two violins and cello, the concertino, with an accompaning string group, the ripieno. This form was soon challenged by the Vivaldi model of virtuoso soloist with string accompaniment, but the concerto grosso survived untill the late 1760s. Guiliani took it to England where Handel's opus 6, "Mr Handel's twelve grand concertos" was published in 1740.
These concerti by Locatelli are good examples of the Corellian concerto, they have their share of virtuosity and melodic passages. They are not as good as Corelli, only Handel's could claim that, but it is fine baroque, and it is very well played by Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Raglan Baroque.
Recommended to all baroque lovers.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

X [Import]

Chopin, Bach, Alkan and others

Buddy's Baddest: The Best Of Buddy Guy

Tomorrow: Barretto Live [Live]

Eroc's Wolkenreisen [Import]

Best of Sade

Brighton Beach Memories - Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish

Clara Schumann & Fanny Mendelssohn Piano Trios

Best of-Gold Disc [Import]

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas "Kreutzer" & "Spring"

Carmel

Canta con Mariachi

Arcoiris Musical Mexicano, Vol. 3

Original Players of Love

Duets II