LISZT: Les Préludes

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E major, S. 124

LISZT: Les quatre élémens (The Four Elements) – reconstruction by Géza Gémesi

Mariangela Vacatello – piano

Hungarian National Philharmonic

Conductor: Zsolt Hamar

Les Préludes is one of Liszt’s most performed symphonic poems. The origins of the composition date back as far as 1844 and were inspired by Alphonse de Lamartine’s (1790–1869) work, Méditations poétiques. For the second piece on the programme, the young pianist Mariangela Vacatello joins us from Italy to perform Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E major. Liszt created a first draft as part of a concerto piece in E major around the year 1830, when he was still a young man. However, he only began to work intensively on the composition during his Weimar period. Liszt devoted much thought and self-criticism to the piece, preparing no fewer than five versions over time. The première eventually took place in Weimar on 17 February 1855: Liszt played the piano solo himself with Berlioz, who was visiting as a guest, as conductor. The four movements of the piece merge into one unified whole.

The final piece in this concert is truly unique. Liszt set four poems by the French poet Joseph Autran to music as Les quatre elémens – the orchestral version of which we will enjoy here in concert. The piano arrangement of the work was reconstructed by Maria Eckhardt – on the basis of which the composer-conductor Géza Gémesi rescored the piece for full orchestra.