Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Le Concert c’est Moi
Fantasia quasi Sonata; après une lecture du Dante S.161 No.7 (1849)
Consolation in D flat major S.172 No.3 (1844-49)
Hungarian Rhapsodie S.244 No.10 (pub.1853)
Liebesträume S.541 Nos.2 and 3 (pub.1850)
Grandes études de Paganini S.141 Nos.2 and 6 (1851)
Mephisto Waltz No.1 S.514 (1859-1862)
Kateryna Titova (piano)
rec. 6 June 2024 (live), November 2024, Konzertsaal. Liszt Zentrum Raiding, Austria
Gramola 99354 [58]
With recordings of Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Beethoven, Grieg and her fellow Ukrainian Vasyl Barvinsky under her belt pianist Kateryna Titova turns to the music of Franz Liszt with whom she has links through her recent appointment as Artist-in-Residence at the Liszt Festival, Raiding. She made these recordings at the concert hall there and the Hungarian rhapsodie, Paganini études and Mephisto Waltz were recorded live at a recital she gave on June 14, 2024.
The album title refers to a comment that Liszt made regarding a soliloquy (not yet recital) that he gave in Rome in 1839. In a break with tradition, he performed alone, dispensing with the assortment of performers who would customarily contribute to a programme. Ignaz Moscheles claimed the same in 1837 though, as Harold C. Schonberg remarks in the Great Pianists (Gollancz 1978) he took the precaution to interweave a little vocal music…so as to relieve the monotony which people warned him against. Liszt’s 1839 did indeed feature just himself though a glance at the programme shows just how different it was to what we consider a recital nowadays; Rossini’s William Tell overture and Liszt’s Réminiscences on I Puritani followed by studies and fragments composed by Liszt and improvisations by Liszt – now that would have been something to witness. It took a while for audiences to grow accustomed to this new style of concert giving but Liszt, certainly one of the 19th century’s superstars, had started the ball rolling and there was no turning back.
No improvisations or fragments here, just Liszt playing of the highest order. A large part of the recital is given over to the Mephistophelian side of Liszt’s character, that fascination with the depiction of Hell, the Devil and all their associations. Interludes, in the form of consolations and Love’s Dreams calm the mood if not the passion. The bookends of the recital, the Dante Sonata and his Mephisto Waltz are a descent into hell with Dante and a visit to earth for hell’s foremost denizen as he travels with Faust and happens upon a celebration at a village inn. Liszt’s declamatory augmented fourth octaves leaves us in no doubt of our destination in the Dante Sonata and the restless and uncertain nature of the chromatic first theme in D minor suggests the chaos of the world into which we plunge. Titova’s playing is immense, commanding the gigantic scale of the challenges that Liszt places along the way though she is equally captivating in the expressive elements which are such a huge part of this journey. The più tosto ritenuto e rubato quasi improvisato is delicious and the octave recitative passages that arrive at the explosive climax of this section have real edge-of the seat tension. Solace and rest are both offered by the familiar D flat Consolation where Titova’s singing tone is beautifully rich and velvety and this continues into the two Liebesträume.Her balancing of chords is marvellous and her tone is consistent throughout, even in Liszt grandiose passages – the bass notes of her Steinway D are gloriously sonorous.
The rest of the CD is from her June recital and is announced in grand style with a tenth Hungarian rhapsodie just oozing swaggering character and scintillating virtuosity. That utterly relaxed and seemingly effortless virtuosity continues in two Paganini études, playfully gracious in the E flat major and vivacious in the theme and variations. Supreme command is nothing new nowadays but there are plenty of moments here that turned my head, not least variation six with its contrary motion octaves and thirds. It comes as no surprise that the Mephisto Waltz that closes the programme is as staggering a performance as anything here. In two recent live performances that I attended both pianists came slightly unstuck in the high wire act that is the final few pages (while still impressing I have to say); no such issue here as Titova gives full flight to this increasingly madcap take on the dance that Faust strikes up in the middle section. Titova charms winningly in this music and her Konzertsaal recital must have been a memorable occasion.
This CD is very well planned; familiarity has perhaps dulled us to the revolutionary opening bars of both the Dante Sonata and Mephisto Waltz, tritones and layered open fifths, but having them as bookends brings us satisfactorily full circle and this whole recital is a wonderful homage to Liszt’s colourful and devilish imagination and to the continuing work taking place in his place of birth.
Rob Challinor
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