Tanguy de Williencourt - Wagner - Liszt (2017) [Official Digital Download]

What a unique, miraculous merger, that of the universes, so contrasted and so complementary, of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and Franz Liszt (1811-1886), whose thinking and oeuvre so marked the 19th century and who still fascinate us up to the present day. is century, which both crossed in such a singular way, constantly pushing back the limits of their chosen fields and linked by this same quest of the absolute through art: the former, upsetting the codes of opera by taking up with mythology and blending it with poetry, drama and philosophy; the latter, a pianist of extraordinary gifts, adulated by the masses and profoundly mystical. Together, bearers of the ‘music of the future’, experimenting with new forms and new timbres, turning the foundations of tonality upside down by establishing chromaticism as the next pedestal of harmony.

In getting closer to these two personalities so seemingly different, it is troubling to discover to what degree they come together in their inner beings, as if their souls were marked by the same stamp. From this impenetrable bond would emerge their reciprocal musical influences and their common aspirations. Liszt’s unshakeable, life-long devotion to the Wagnerian genius is poignantly revealed in the 15 transcriptions he wrote for piano based on excerpts from Wagner’s operas.

What a challenge then to transpose the multi- dimensional Wagnerian edifice to the one-sidedness of the piano, a challenge of which Liszt avoided the pitfalls, clearing the obstacles by sublimating them. Pro ting from the instrument as synthesis of orchestral and dramatic thinking whilst preserving his privilege of freedom and improvisation, Liszt brilliantly succeeded in distinguishing the passages of operas propitious to a new breath on the piano. Glorified by the fact that he was one of the first to enter the power and richness of Wagner’s music in its entirety, his genius as a transcriber comes through here in the quality of preserving the essence of the teeming Wagnerian universe whilst breathing his own compositional and pianistic magic into it. us, without exception, these transcriptions strike the perfect balance between vocal and orchestral, form and virtuosity, inspiration and absolute respect for Wagner’s art.

Tracklist:

Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)

1 Tristan et Isolde, WWV. 90 (Arr. Tanguy de Williencourt): Prélude (Excerpt) 07:32
2 Tristan et Isolde, WWV. 90 (Arr. Franz Liszt): La mort d’Isolde (Excerpt) 07:04
3 L’Anneau du Nibelung, WWV. 86 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Walhalla (Excerpt) 05:47
4 Fantaisie sur des thèmes de Rienzi, WWV. 49 (Arr. Franz Liszt) 08:45
5 Le Vaisseau Fantôme, WWV. 63 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Choeur des fileuses (Excerpt) 06:08
6 Le Vaisseau Fantôme, WWV. 63 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Ballade de Senta (Excerpt) 05:08
7 Les Maîtres Chanteurs de Nuremberg, WWV. 96 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Am stillen Herd (Excerpt) 08:05
8 Parsifal, WWV. 111 (Arr. Franz Liszt): La Marche solennelle vers le Saint Graal (Excerpt) 09:02

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)

9 Am Grabe Richard Wagners, S. 135 02:24

Richard Wagner

10 Tannhäuser, WWV. 110 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Ouverture (Excerpt) 16:36
11 Lohengrin, WWV. 75 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Le Rêve d’Elsa (Excerpt) 03:47
12 Lohengrin, WWV. 75 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Procession d’Elsa vers la cathédrale (Excerpt) 07:45
13 Lohengrin, WWV. 75 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Fête et chant nuptial (Excerpt) 10:36
14 Lohengrin, WWV. 75 (Arr. Franz Liszt): L’admonition de Lohengrin envers Elsa (Excerpt) 03:08
15 Tannhäuser, WWV. 110 (Arr. Franz Liszt): L’entrée des invités à la Wartburg (Excerpt) 10:26
16 Tannhäuser, WWV. 110 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Récitatif et romance à l’étoile (Excerpt) 05:54
17 Tannhäuser, WWV. 110 (Arr. Franz Liszt): Choeur des pèlerins (Excerpt) 06:16
18 Élégie, WWV. 93 01:17

Personnel:
Tanguy de Williencourt, piano