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Liszt: Transcriptions - Schmitt, Haselböck

Liszt: Transcriptions - Schmitt, Haselböck

CPO  777 472-2

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Liszt: Ad nos, ad salutarem undam (arr. Dupre for organ & orchestra); Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (arr. Weiner for orchestra); Orpheus (arr. Liszt for organ); Prelude & Fugue on BACH (arr. Bischof for orchestra)

Christian Schmitt (organ)
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserlautern
Martin Haselböck (conductor)


Metamorphoses and Transgressions

Franz Liszt was one of the most dazzling and influential musical personalities of the nineteenth century. He repeatedly set out on new paths and engaged in a permanent quest for new expressive opportunities. His Weimar period (from 1843) was distinguished not only by a surprising turn to religion but also by a fascination for the organ. Organ music may not play a major role in Liszt’s oeuvre, but Martin Haselböck’s edition of his organ works fills a good six volumes. On this recording featuring highly appealing arrangements of works by Liszt for organ and orchestra, Haselböck is the conductor and Christian Schmitt is the organist – this year’s Echo prizewinner for his Widor symphonies on cpo! The program includes Liszt’s own arrangements of his symphonic poem Orpheus for organ solo. Later, Marcel Dupré arranged Liszt’s grand Organ Fantasy and Fugue on Ad nos, ad salutarem undam for organ and orchestra, while Leó Weiner and Rainer Bischof went on to transform organ works into purely orchestral arrangements. High suspense is in store on this CD in the form of the dialogue carried on here between Liszt and these three arrangers, all of them important composers in their own right. Liszt’s modernity is rendered even more palpable and audible when his music ventures into the orchestral sphere.

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Review by Graham Williams - December 3, 2013

This SACD contains a fascinating programme of rarities from the ever enterprising CPO label – four of Liszt's most familiar compositions presented in an unusual form. The fine young organist Christian Schmitt is featured in two of them, whilst three are performed by the recently formed Deutsche Radio Philharmonie conducted by Martin Hasselböck, a distinguished organist and Liszt specialist in his own right.

The longest and most inventive piece on this programme is Marcel Dupré's thrilling arrangement for organ and orchestra of Liszt's 'Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale 'Ad nos, ad salutarem undam' from Meyerbeer's opera 'Le Prophète'. This work – a commission to Dupré from the Wanamaker Foundation in Philadelphia – received a single performance many years ago on the huge organ in the family department store with Dupré conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Long considered lost, the score material was discovered in the basement of Dupré's Paris apartment and the work was awarded its second performance as recently as 2007. Christian Schmitt gives what must surely be regarded as a definitive performance on the Karl Schuke Organ in the Philharmonie, Luxembourg. Dupré's orchestral accompaniment complements the organ part most effectively, and features some fine individual playing from members of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Orchestra.

Orpheus is the fourth of Liszt's thirteen symphonic poems. Written in 1853-54 it served as an introduction to the first Weimar performance of Gluck's 'Orfeo ed Euridice' in 1854 conducted by the composer. Christian Schmitt's finely executed account of this short melodic work is given in Liszt's own transcription for solo organ. The piece's simple form – a gradual crescendo to a climax which then slowly returns to its contemplative opening – seems well suited to the instrument.

The transcriptions of the other two of Liszt's most familiar organ works also are most successfully realised in purely orchestral garb. This is especially true of the 'Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen ' from Bach's Cantata No 12 transcribed by Liszt's compatriot Leo Weiner. A fine composer in his own right, Weiner produced a powerful and idiomatic composition that could easily pass for another of Liszt's symphonic poems.

The arrangement of the 'Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H' that completes the four works on this SACD falls to the Austrian composer Rainer Bischof (b.1947). Bischof uses rather more percussion than Weiner but is equally effective in capturing the spirit of the original Liszt piece and is well worth hearing. Both these works receive strong performances from Martin Hasselböck and his capable orchestra recorded in the second venue for this disc – the Emmerich Smola Hall, Kaiserlautern.

The perspective of these multi-channel recordings places the listener quite far back in both venues which possess similar acoustics, and, while the sound favours warmth and richness above clarity, the overall effect does not disappoint. Organ pedal notes are powerfully reproduced and the difficult balances between organ and orchestra are well managed by the engineers.

Highly recommended.

Copyright © 2013 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Multichannel):

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