AT A GLANCE

Complementary Contrasts

Schubert the introverted poet, Liszt the extroverted showman... Though there are reasons why these stereotypes developed, neither serve their respective artists well, as this intersection of Romantic contrasts reveals. There is brilliant muscular work as well as eloquent soulfulness aplenty in these two Schubert sonatas, some of which clearly presages the extravagant outbursts of Liszt’s Vallée d’Obermann. And Liszt’s sensitivity to Schubert’s lyricism and textures is as apparent in the moody opening of Vallée d’Obermann as it is in his amplification of Schubert’s songs, where protean virtuosity is bent to expressive lyrical purpose. —John

Henken

SONATA IN A MAJOR, D. 664 (OP. POSTH. 120)

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Composed: 1819

When certain concert works are labeled, there is danger that truth in advertising is not entirely present. For example, Schubert’s Symphony in C, the one formerly known as No. 9, always carries with it the subtitle “The Great.” Similarly, the composer’s Piano Sonata in A of 1828 is dubbed a “grand” sonata. These designations, if they are used to describe the length and scope of the works in question, are perfectly valid. But unfortunately they tend to undermine, in the first case, Schubert’s delightful Sixth Symphony, also in C, and in the second case, his equally delightful but earlier Piano Sonata in A. No matter. The pleasures of the A-major Sonata on this program are both great and grand. Probably written in 1819, this work, with but three concise movements, is the most direct and economical of the Schubert sonatas; it surely is one of the most endearing. The first movement’s main theme, although tailor-made for the keyboard, is another of those countless Schubert melodies that could be set to words. Cannily, however, the composer endowed the melody with a distinctive dotted-note figure that is highly developable, sonata-allegro style. In his characteristic manner, Schubert turns the second sentence of the theme to the minor, a procedure that occurs frequently throughout the movement. A triplet figure distinguishes the airy second theme, and in fact the ascending triplet scale in single notes that leads to the second theme generates the only brilliant passage in the movement, by way of a series of scales in octaves at the beginning of the development. In contrast to this slight virtuosic indulgence, Schubert ends the movement with a six-measure coda that reflects on the main theme with simple, sighing poignance.

The slow movement is a model of concentrated expressiveness. Built on but a single melodic idea appearing at times in uneven phrase lengths, the music unfolds with the miraculous variety of the changes of harmony, rhythm, and accompaniment. At midpoint, a transition phrase has a quasi-ominous ring as repeated drumbeats in the low bass remind us of the composer’s keen orchestral consciousness. The last movement is something of a whirlwind, but a charming whirlwind. There’s a lot of dance here, especially in the second theme’s rhythmic lilt. (Remember that Schubert composed dozens of dances for the piano, many ineffably lovely, some unbelievably banal.) There is also plenty of finely tuned bravura that is neither unmotivated nor excessive. The Sonata’s balances are, in fact, so wonderfully gauged and the materials so appealing, one (certainly this one) is tempted to label this Sonata “The Perfect.” —Orrin Howard

Four Songs

Franz Schubert / Franz Liszt

Composed: 1833-46

As a composer, teacher, and pianist, Franz Liszt developed new methods in his compositions—both imaginative and technical—which left their mark upon his progressive concepts and procedures. He also developed the method of “transformation of themes” as part of his revolution in form, made radical experiments in harmony, and invented the orchestral symphonic poem.

The reputation of Schubert did not extend far beyond his native Vienna, and he was virtually unknown in several key European cities. Liszt attempted to correct the situation by transcribing 56 songs of Schubert for piano solo. These transcriptions are at times simple replicas of the melodic line written for voice, yet they can also take the form of free paraphrase. It is remarkable that the vocal line has been retained in the midst of so much pianistic virtuosity.

The transcriptions were begun in 1833, five years after the death of Schubert, and the last one was completed in 1846. Liszt’s love of Schubert is evident in “Der Müller und der Bach” (“The Miller and the Brook”), taken from Die schöne Müllerin. This beautiful melody is sung twice in the original song; here Liszt allows us to hear it three times. The second verse particularly has some of his most exquisite piano writing, the bell-like melody singing elegantly above pedaled staccatos and arpeggios.

“Aufenthalt” (“Resting Place”) is the fifth song from Schubert’s Schwanengesang, D. 957. This sweet melody in E minor unfolds to a turbulent and moving line, modulating through unexpected and complex harmonic territory.

Like “Aufenthalt,” “Liebesbotschaft” comes from Schubert’s Schwanengesang cycle, composed in August 1828. Liszt keeps Schubert’s brook continually rippling, while moving the melody around in the texture, demanding extraordinary virtuosity of touch to keep it singing.

“Horch, horch! Die Lerch” is one of four songs Schubert wrote on lyrics by Shakespeare (in German translations) in July 1826. Liszt’s affectionate treatment greatly expands the range and technique required without fundamentally altering Schubert’s characterization.

Franz Liszt was himself one of the greatest virtuosi on the pianoforte; he fully understood the instrument’s potential and perceived its capabilities in full, which he never failed to exhaust in his compositions. In the works of Liszt, we find an example of a composer writing almost exclusively for the piano. The smaller-scaled piano works, such as his numerous etudes and assorted short pieces with poetic names, are among the most significant.

—Ileen Zovluck

© 2000 Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

ANNÉES DE PÈLERINAGE I: “VALLÉE D’OBERMANN”

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

Composed: 1865

A student of Carl Czerny’s, Franz Liszt was a composer who never had a problem identifying extramusical ideas behind his compositions. A child prodigy and a leading figure in the Romantic cult of the virtuoso, Liszt consciously and successfully adopted the model of violinist Nicolò Paganini’s stagecraft, the black costumes and mannered air of mystery. The term “recital” was coined for his solo appearances, and he toured throughout Europe almost continually from 1839 to 1847.

For those performances, he composed, arranged, and transcribed a huge body of work, much of it appearing in several different versions. Exploiting the new capabilities of the rapidly developing piano, Liszt created a new playing style full of technical dazzle and color over the whole range of the instrument. He firmly believed in the power of music to express extramusical subjects, the “intrinsic and poetic meanings of things,” as he wrote in the preface to his early collection of character pieces, Album d'un voyageur. Literature, painting, and sculpture, scenes from nature, history, and legend, all inspired Liszt to compositions great and small. His goal was to express his response to the subject as much as to depict the thing itself in sound. He gathered two volumes of such pieces from his touring years under the title Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage).

“Vallée d’Obermann” (Obermann’s Valley) was inspired by Étienne Pivert de Senancour’s novel of the same title and first appeared in Part 1 of Album d’un voyageur, subtitled “Impressions et Poesies.” The piece was extensively rewritten before being included as No. 6 in Première année: Suisse (First Year: Switzerland), S. 160, published in 1855. —Adapted from program notes by John Henken

SONATA IN B-FLAT MAJOR, D. 960

Franz Schubert

Composed: 1828

The great B-flat Sonata, written only weeks before his death in November 1828, closed forever Schubert’s catalog of solo piano works. What a final-year legacy: three grand piano sonatas, three smallish piano pieces, and the superb String Quintet in C. Even taking into consideration all the incalculable strokes of genius existing in the Schubert canon, the B-flat Sonata must be considered extraordinary. Like the first two of the last three sonatas, it is an expansive composition, each of its four movements built on a large scale. Yet, unlike many another Schubert masterwork “of heavenly length,” there is not a wasted note here. From the exalted opening measures to the exuberant final ones, pure inspiration never faltered; substance and craft are married in a miraculous union.

This well-nigh-perfect sonata begins with a theme of other- worldly serenity, at the end of the first statement of which a trill in the lower depths of the bass rumbles quietly but ominously on two notes foreign to the key — G-flat and A-flat. After the main theme is repeated, another low trill takes us directly into the unrelated key of G-flat, where now the theme smiles with almost heartbreaking tenderness. This kind of expressiveness, intensified by sudden modulations and tonal ambiguity, is one of the most conspicuous and lifelong marks of the Schubert genius; in the mature works the effect can be overwhelming. One could easily get caught up in a detailed account of this movement’s wonders, but suffice it to mention only the development section. It starts with the main theme in tragic C-sharp minor in a marvelously lean fabric, and then travels a gripping course, ending in D minor just before the exquisitely poised recapitulation, heralded by that now familiar low trill.

For the slow movement, in C-sharp minor, Schubert takes us to a remote place of austere and poignant calm, the rhythmic regularity acting as hypnotic momentum leading to an extended consoling section in A major. The main theme returns with elaborate ornamentation, and the movement ends with an “amen” benediction in C-sharp major.

The scene changes completely with the arrival of the third-movement Scherzo. Here is bounding, stylized, spiritualized joy in threequarter time, breezing along with only a brief interruption by a solemn Trio in B-flat minor.

C-minor (!) makes a surprise appearance at the beginning of the last movement, but it is quickly ejected and the movement proceeds on a buoyant and humorous B-flatmajor course. The opening seriousness is a recurring element in the proceedings, and there is a forceful section in F minor. But always the clouds part, and finally there is a very fast and exhilarating passage that closes the Schubert piano sonata ledger with brilliant, breathtaking finality. —Orrin Howard

Emanuel Ax

Born to Polish parents in what is today Lviv, Ukraine, Emanuel Ax moved to Winnipeg, Canada, with his family when he was a young boy. Ax made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series, and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize.

In the fall of 2021, he resumed a post-COVID touring schedule that included concerts with the Colorado, Pacific, Cincinnati, and Houston symphonies as well as the Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Cleveland orchestras and the Los Angeles and New York philharmonics. 2022/23 will include a tour with Itzhak Perlman “and Friends” and a continuation of the Beethoven for Three touring and recording project with partners Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma.

In recital he can be heard in Palm Beach, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Las Vegas, and New York and with orchestras in Atlanta, Detroit, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Naples (FL), Portland (OR), Toronto, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Touring in Europe in the fall and spring includes concerts in Germany, the U.K., Switzerland, and France.

Ax has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording artist since 1987. Following the success of the Brahms trios with Kavakos and Ma, the trio launched an ambitious, multiyear project to record all of Beethoven’s trios and symphonies arranged for trio. The first two albums were released in 2022. Ax has received Grammy® Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas. He has also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings of the Beethoven and Brahms cello sonatas with Yo-Yo Ma. In the 2004/05 season Ax contributed to an International Emmy® Awardwinning BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust, which aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In 2013, Ax’s recording Variations received the ECHO Klassik Award for Solo Recording of the Year (19th Century Music/Piano).

Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary doctorates from Skidmore College, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and Columbia University.

For more information about Ax’s career, please visit EmanuelAx.com