Have Talent, Will Travel (works from Liszt's Annees de pelerinage, Bk. 1-3)

Mephisto Waltz nr. 1 - Builds to a climax that is fairly expected
Petrarch 123... pretty, simplified.
Dante sonata

All of Liszt's works to this point demonstrate virtuosity, and these selections from his Books of Pilgramage are no exception. However, these works seem to possess a certain character that is perhaps less present in his earlier works. The Mephisto Waltz is obviously virtuosic, but builds to its virtuosity. Some might argue that the build to virtuosity is somewhat predictable, and that the shape of the entire piece is one designed to provoke a response more to the virtuosity than the content of the piece. I felt that the climax arrived in a very predictable, typically Liszt-ian way. I feel very similarly about the Dante sonata. It feels very well constructed, but too typically early Liszt for my taste. While I recognize his contributions to the piano world, I still have a hard time with such raw virtuosity employed in such a manner.

That being said, the Petrach Sonnet 123 and Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este are stunning. Simpler perhaps, in construction and execution when compared with the sonata and waltz, but striking. The Petrarch Sonnet does have virtuosic moments, but lyricism seems to be the primary concern. Jeux d'eau... seems to move toward impressionism, looking perhaps forward to Debussy and Ravel in terms of texture, if not quite in harmonic construction. I felt that of all the pieces from the set, Jeux d'eau... was quite possibly the best marrying of Liszt's virtuosic writing with emotional impact. The build to a technically complex climax does not feel forced, but rather seems to grow organically from moment to moment.