Liszt, Au lac de Wallenstadt

[rachfan]

This is from Annees de Pelerinage, Suisse.

Update: I deleted the CD cut (downloaded 84 times) and replaced it with the original tape recording which has better fidelity.

[counterpoint]

It's a wonderful piece - one of the few Liszt pieces, I really like - and you play it very, very nice. Good work!

[rachfan]

Hi counterpoint,

Thanks for your kind comment!  "Au lac de Wallenstadt", although a character piece tucked in with the others in the Swiss Years of Pilgrimage, struck me as a bit off the beaten track back when I was playing it.   It's a very quiet and lyrical piece devoid of Liszt's bravura writing.  But beyond that, it is almost pre-impressionistic, similar to the "Fountain at the Villa d'Este" in the Third Year Pilgrimages, at least in my opinion-- although probably not one commonly held.   You do get the sense of being in a rowboat with the gentle cadence of the oars on the placid lake.  When I was learning it, I recall concentrating on the polyrhythms to get a relaxed, blended sound, and avoiding "bumps" in the left hand so as not to detract from the gentle right hand cantabile that must be maintained at all times.  At first glance, the score looked fairly straightforward, but there were a few more technical challenges in this short piece than I had first anticipated.   I'm glad I did the piece, as I like doing some lesser known works of well-known composers.  I wish more people would give it a listen though, as I would bet that many have never heard it.  Athough it's a miniature, it's a gem.  Thanks again!   

[rachfan]

This piece is a bit off the beaten path and not heard very often.  If you're not familiar with it, I hope you like it.  Comments welcome.

[pianistimo]

interesting what liszt did with the rhythms in the lh.  must be difficult to keep doing repetitively.

rachfan - i hear a slight discrepancy between the last triplet and the first duple.  somehow - it would be nice to make it equal between all first four notes.  da da da da    da    da   da

they might already be - but it sounds like they are not - because of a slight accent on the second main beat.  i'd nix the accent.

here's a sample i found.  seriously, i haven't played this piece.  i'm sure it'll be easy for you to fix.  but, it's a really difficult piece, i'm sure:  https://www.emusic.com/album/Masters-of-the-Roll-Vol-18-Piano-Music-of-Chopi-Arthur-Freidheim-MP3-Download/10587687.html?fref=150051

[jlh]

No offense to Mr. Freidheim, but I don't like the straightforwardness he gives this piece.  It needs to be full of sensitivity and retrospect. 

Rachfan, lots of good stuff there!  The simple advice I would give is to be careful of the LH taking taking all your concentration.  Put it in the background where every good ostenato belongs.  Just let the LH happen quietly and focus on hypnotizing us with the melody.


I like much of what Brendel does:

[pianistimo]

are you joking about straightforwardness - this is quite straightforward with mr. brendel.  but, you know what - i like it.  can you find a third pianist to express maybe more of the passion in this thing?

with brendel - i hear the lake loud and clear.  the sparkles on the lake.  the little ripples.  i love everything about it.  but, that's because i like romantic things to sound a bit classical.  but what about someone who complains about straightforwardness.  listen to the last notes at the end with brendel.  they are evenly spaced and only paired with pedalling.  romantics tend to just 'go wild' and do whatever feels right.  especially at endings.  you know - making it dramatic.

[jlh]

are you joking about straightforwardness - this is quite straightforward with mr. brendel.  but, you know what - i like it.  can you find a third pianist to express maybe more of the passion in this thing?

with brendel - i hear the lake loud and clear.  the sparkles on the lake.  the little ripples.  i love everything about it.  but, that's because i like romantic things to sound a bit classical.  but what about someone who complains about straightforwardness.  listen to the last notes at the end with brendel.  they are evenly spaced and only paired with pedalling.  romantics tend to just 'go wild' and do whatever feels right.  especially at endings.  you know - making it dramatic.

No, not joking.  The sound file on that Freidheim page for this piece is played so fast that it's pretty insensitive.  Just my opinion.   

[pianistimo]

what do you say about mr. brendel's ending.  is it passionate?  let's find a third party and have a meeting of the minds about 'straightforward' vs. 'letting loose.'

[rachfan]

Hi pianistimo,

I hear your point on the accent that is heard on some of the second beats in the LH.  Thanks for pointing that out.  I do believe I could blend it better so that the bass phrase notes are equally weighted to avoid a bump.  The problem taking some effort there is  the fact that those second beats are played with the 4th finger, which, of course, is our least controllable due to the ligament structure connecting it to the 3rd and 5th fingers.  But it can be overcome.  I should add, however, that there is a noteable exception where the LH 2nd beats must actually be featured.  Starting at measure 55,  each 2nd beat note forms a descending scale, F#,  F, and F flat which must be highlighted for the listener, especially where the scale is more of a point of interest than the very little going on in the RH at that moment.     

I wasn't able to get the Freidheim rcording to start unfortunately.  He was a pupil for Liszt, so had that direct connection.  Piano rolls though are one of the oldest and more primative recording technologies.  Odd things can happen to tempos, intonation, etc.   But I just listened to the CD that I have here by Joseph Villa, who, I notice, does a fine job of evening out the first note of each LH duple so that they are not obtrusive. 

[rachfan]

Hi Josh,

Your point on subduing the ostinato is excellent.  Yes, I admittedly was overly focused on it.  I think if I had lived with the piece a little longer such that the LH rhythm felt more comfortable to me, I could have put it more into the background to really bring out the cantilena in the foreground.  A way I have found to do that is to reduce the LH dynamic by one notch beyond normal balancing of the hands, which automatically spotlights the RH with no increase in volume there. 

Thanks for posting the Brendel video.  He plays the piece very well indeed.  Usually we think of him as primarily specialized in Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven, but he does a superb job with Liszt as well.