Liszt - Harmonies Poetiques et Religeuses

[grandstaff]

I have recently been listening to these (fantastic) Liszt pieces, and I've looked around on the internet and had difficulty finding much information about it. (I'm talking about the entire set, not just Funerailles and Benediction of God in Solitude.) So I was wondering:

a) Has anyone played any/all of them? Can someone give an approximate difficulty rating of the pieces?
b) What are the backgrounds/meanings of them?
c) Why are they so neglected?
d) Which ones are your favorites? (Mine are Andante Lagrimoso, Benediction of God in Solitude and Funerailles, but I love all of them)

Thanks to anyone who can help!

[stoudemirestat]

I LOVE this cycle. Always have - it is very neglected. I really like all the pieces in it, and it contains some of the best works in the solo piano repertoire.

A: I have not played any of them, so I can't say. Looking at the scores I think on average they are easier than the Annees or Etudes, and don't reach the same level of  difficulty at the harder end. Still, the highlights of this set require both an advanced technique and musical ability. They are difficult pieces. If I was to categorize them...I'd say...

Hardest: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, Pensée des morts, Funérailles.

Hard: Invocation, Miserere, d’après Palestrina, Cantique d’amour.

Moderate: Hymne de l’enfant à son réveil, Andante lagrimoso.

Easiest: Pater Noster. Ave Maria.



I could be wrong though, and unltimately it depends on your own strengths and weaknesses.

2: Not entirely sure and don't have the time to find out atm.

C: Good question. One I don't have an answer to. Liszt in general, past the Etudes, Sonata, and Annees (even in some of them), is neglected a lot more than the likes of  Chopin and Schumann, etc. Very underrated and even neglected piano composer once you get past the stuff everyone knows.

D: My favourite is Pensée des morts. After that my next two favourites are Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude and Funérailles. Two other favourites are Miserere, d’après Palestrina, and Andante lagrimoso.

[grandstaff]

It's true that with Liszt, theres two categories. Pieces that everyone knows (ie. Hungarian Rhapsodies, La Campanella, Transcendental Etudes, Liebstraume, Totentanz, Sonata, etc.), or pieces that no one knows (ie. most of Annees des pelerinage, Piano Concertos 1 and 2, La Lugubre Gondola, Rigoletto Paraphrase, Reminisces de Don Juan, Bagatelle sans Tonalite, and pretty much everything else not mentioned above). Unfortunately, the Harmonies fall into the latter category.

Interesting that the three hardest ones are the ones you mentioned that are also the three longest ones, but I guess that isn't surprising. And I think that when you said that "on average they are easier than the Annees or Etudes" you obviously meant technical difficulty, because I think that musically these pieces are some of the hardest in the repertoire (like the voicing in Benediction  , or in Pensees des morts, or Funerailles, or any of them really).


By the way, I'm listening to Pensees des Morts, and you're right. It's great.

[stoudemirestat]

It's true that with Liszt, theres two categories. Pieces that everyone knows (ie. Hungarian Rhapsodies, La Campanella, Transcendental Etudes, Liebstraume, Totentanz, Sonata, etc.), or pieces that no one knows (ie. most of Annees des pelerinage, Piano Concertos 1 and 2, La Lugubre Gondola, Rigoletto Paraphrase, Reminisces de Don Juan, Bagatelle sans Tonalite, and pretty much everything else not mentioned above). Unfortunately, the Harmonies fall into the latter category.

Interesting that the three hardest ones are the ones you mentioned that are also the three longest ones, but I guess that isn't surprising. And I think that when you said that "on average they are easier than the Annees or Etudes" you obviously meant technical difficulty, because I think that musically these pieces are some of the hardest in the repertoire (like the voicing in Benediction  , or in Pensees des morts, or Funerailles, or any of them really).


By the way, I'm listening to Pensees des Morts, and you're right. It's great.

I would not put either of the PC's as works that no one knows. Both of them are fairly famous, and the first is one of his most popular works. I'd also say the first two years of the Annees are pretty popular, even if I think they are undervalued and underrated compared to where they should be. It is the third year, however that I agree with you there on. Also the Rigoletto and Don Juan are two of his more popular works.

I meant both musically and technically, but you are right. Now that I think about it I was incorrect in saying that.

Glad you like it! Probaby the most neglected work in the set. A solo piano masterpiece.

[richard_strauss]

I personally think is more difficult as a cycle than the first Année, musically it displays a much wider range of color and emotion.
About your second question, the work is based on  Lamartine's homonymous recueil poétique of 1830 (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k54007115.r=lamartine+harmonies.langEN.swf).

[lostinidlewonder]

I have recently been listening to these (fantastic) Liszt pieces, and I've looked around on the internet and had difficulty finding much information about it. (I'm talking about the entire set, not just Funerailles and Benediction of God in Solitude.) So I was wondering:

b) What are the backgrounds/meanings of them?

Here are some links with info:

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67445
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonies_po%C3%A9tiques_et_religieuses
https://www.pianostreet.com/liszt-sheet-music/harmonies-poetiques-et-religieuses/
https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/343394/Franz-Liszt/4226/Years-with-Marie-dAgoult?anchor=ref9044
https://www.allmusic.com/album/liszt-harmonies-potiques-et-religieuses-w115532/review

[grandstaff]

I'd also say the first two years of the Annees are pretty popular

I disagree completely.

[stoudemirestat]

I disagree completely.

Hmm...I've always thought of them as  being very popular, but that may very well be because i've been so in love with them that I figured they had to  be popular :p But now that I think about it...You're probably right. In fact I do recall on another website, people very knowledgeable about piano repertoire changing their minds about Liszt after hearing the Annees for the first time. It was like...they'd heard everything else, from Chopin to the most obscure composers, but just missed much of Liszt's best stuff for some reason. Stereotypes and prejudices, I say.