F. Liszt - Oh! Quand je dors for (transcription for solo piano)

[storyseller]

One of Liszt's most beautiful and memorable "nocturnal" melodies, unjustly neglected! I really believe this should be up his "top-10 most famous pieces" ever.

This is the second version of the original song (voice and piano) and Liszt himself did not transcribe it for solo piano unfortunately. So I did it myself :p : In the first section I tried to stick to the original as much as possible. In the middle I added more layers of counterpoint and some (typical for Liszt's era) bravura passages. Then for the last two pages where Liszt's writing  in the original becomes sparce and more transparent I thought that it could (or rather should) be done with the left hand alone, thus giving it an unexpected twist. I hope I stayed true to Liszt's intentions and spirit despite the changes and edits I did.

What do you think?

(The recording is from a live performance in Poros, Greece, 2018 so the sound quality is not the best possible, but I have added the score to make it more accessible.)

Hope you enjoy!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks for this! It is a beautiful song and your setting is very Lisztian. I hear harmonic elements in the piece which I feel have similarities to early Wagner.
The lh only section is an interesting twist.

[visitor]

Thanks for this! It is a beautiful song and your setting is very Lisztian. I hear harmonic elements in the piece which I feel have similarities to early Wagner.
The lh only section is an interesting twist.

fully agree and glad op posted this wonderful rendition/version, a melody i was unfamiliar with but instantly liked.

[goldentone]

Congratulations, Storyseller, on the transcription and performance!

[storyseller]

Thanks everyone.

Ronde, coming from a transcriber such as yourself this is a big compliment.

I still don't get how this piece is virtually unknown to pianists, it's an instant "hit". There are a lot of performances of it on youtube by singers but even very well informed pianists don't know it. It's a shame... 

[mjames]

I don't know, I can understand why. Although Liszt is my number 3, after Scriabin and Chopin, I think melody/tunes are his weakest points. What he does with the initial material is often far more interesting than the material itself. Here it's no exception, what you've done is far more interesting than initial theme. It was great to listen to, great work man!

[storyseller]

I don't know, I can understand why. Although Liszt is my number 3, after Scriabin and Chopin, I think melody/tunes are his weakest points. What he does with the initial material is often far more interesting than the material itself.

Agree 100%

Here it's no exception

Disagree 100%. I find this piece quite an exception. This little piece not only has a memorable tune but also (in miniature) a great developmnet section before it recapitulates. I think my transcription just makes it more obvious than the original piano/voice setting.