Let's visualize for a moment, shall we? Let's remember back to about third grade... chalkboard dust and a big teacher's desk, and little curtain-climbers with desks arranged in a big circle around the classroom. Imagine yourself as one of those children... patiently waiting, answering questions as called on... not necessarily enthused about class, but not completely occupied with day-dreams of recess either.
Do you remember who your opposite is? Not the kid in the corner folding paper airplanes, or the girl playing with her pigtails. No... your opposite is the kid three desks over who has never gotten less than a one-hundred-and-one-percent-and-a-good-job-sticker on his spelling tests, who answers every question correctly but without brevity. Girls swoon, guys don't get it because he's clearly no good for kickball. But, he studies... and how.
In the piano world, that person is Franz Liszt, and his etudes demonstrate this character. Sure, they're impressive, sure they have some sort of emotional content... but, their exuberance seems to stem from the joy of playing, and in some cases nearly nothing else. It is no surprise then, upon hearing the etudes of Liszt, that his personality was one of a showman and pianist, a 'rockstar' of the 1800's, complete with groupies that are willing to scramble for bits of bright red hair and an autograph... (which, in this case is just an autograph, and not the things that Henle and Barenreiter are constantly going on about.)
His concert etude is an elevation of that same idea. Make it longer, make it showier, and you've got yourself a performable work. While I'm not saying that all of Liszt's music is this way, a lot of his virtuosic works (especially his etudes), feel this way. Returning to third grade for a moment... If the transcendental etudes are Liszt's spelling-tests of sorts, then his concert etudes would be roughly him winning the spelling me. They seem to say look at me! I can do this. Give me a word... virtuosic... V-I-R-T......
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2 comments:
I think its fascinating that in his "rock star" years of Weimar, Liszt chose integrity to the direction of his art over public understanding and support.
Further, I think that the "Chasse Neige" Transcendental Etude (that you mention but don't discuss) is although maybe not as deep as some respected works of Schumann, is less superficial.
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