Liszt: Incidental Bits 'n Bobs

 

For this entry of my Bits 'n Bobs series, I cover two occasional pieces from Liszt, both oddly referencing Beethoven. While some of my Bits 'n Bobs segments are from recordings I once owned or have heard in passing, these two are brand new to me.

Beethoven-Cantata

Having Beethoven in the title of of a work by Franz Liszt is rather confusing, especially as the media keeps calling it Liszt's Beethoven Cantata. The music is actually titled Festival Cantata for the Inauguration Ceremony of the Beethoven Monument in Bonn 1845, an occasional piece for the presentation of the famous Beethoven statue in Bonn.

Being an early work of large proportions from Liszt, this cantata is far better than it has any right to be. In four medium-sized movements, Liszt bestows honors to Beethoven through orchestra, chorus, and soloists, the headliner being soprano Diana Damrau, although her contribution is quite brief.

If I was listening to the piece correctly, Liszt only quotes directly from Beethoven towards the end, setting an instrumental chamber piece for voices. The rest is original to Liszt, and he does a good job of it. The piece is appropriately swollen, with a notably swinging operatic tune in the third section, and many contrasting musical areas.

I have not come across the Cologne Kantorei before, but they are a terrific chorus here, well placed sonically by Harmonia Mundi. The Cologne Cappella is a period-instrument ensemble, and while I would prefer modern instruments, I enjoy that they are punchy here. Only some moments featuring the cello section made me yearn for a fuller sound, as it was a little anemic and wheedly.

While I hadn't heard this Beethoven-Cantata from Liszt before, Bruno Weil seems to have the measure of the music, providing an exciting musical paean to Beethoven. It is probably time I give that conductor another chance on record, although his cleaving to period practice will never be my jam. All I remember from Weil is a lively set of Offenbach overtures and a disappointing set of Schubert Masses with the Vienna Boys Choir, both found on Sony.

This Monument Inauguration Cantata was an absolutely wonderful and unexpected surprise. I notice it is paired with Beethoven's famous Choral Fantasy for solo piano, orchestra, chorus, and soloists. I will admit, I have absolutely no desire to hear a period version of that work, especially when the piano solo is played on a fortepiano. The other downside to the recording as a whole, is that it adds up to a mere 45 minutes in totalis. Short measure!

Vor Hundert Jahren

If I was mightily impressed with Liszt's cantata above, I was greatly disappointed by his Vor Hundert Jahren.

Vor Hundert Jahren is more of a dramatic spoken piece with occasional orchestral contributions than it is an honest-to-goodness musical work. Akin to the Beethoven-Cantata, the work is a celebration of the great German author Friedrich Schiller, one I know mostly from use in German Lied.

I did not look up a translation to follow along, although that might have made the experience more palatable. Unlike the cantata, Liszt frequently borrows familiar tunes here, most of German origin and including the famous Ode to Joy from Beethoven. The musical selections are so short, though, the music takes a backseat to the speaking throughout.

Thus, I can't really judge the performance from Kirill Karabits and the Staatskapelle Weimar. It should be noted that Vor Hundert Jahren is only available online, while the rest of the Liszt orchestral program can be found on CD. This leads me to believe Audite didn't have much confidence in this work either.

Unfortunately, the speaking and music cannot be separately tracked either, as they are most often intertwined with one another. I suspect if they were, there wouldn't be much music to listen to in any case.

Too bad, but not every musical piece can be a winner.

Summary

As is often the case, these two works are for Liszt enthusiasts more than the casual listener. Perhaps the cantata will ignite some interest from those with a love of choral music, and Liszt lovers will want to hear it too. The dramatic recitation, on the other hand, will probably have low interest, for the music is subsidiary. Perhaps it works better on the concert stage.



Bits 'n Bobs

Beethoven-Cantata, S. 584 (27.45)
     Diana Damrau, soprano
     Elisabeth Graf, soprano
     Tanja Schun, soprano
     Jörg Dürmüller, tenor
     Andreas Häsler, tenor
     Thomas Heyer, tenor
     Georg Zeppenfeld, bass
     Sebastian Klein, bass
     Volker Hempfling, bass
  Kölner Kantorei
  Cappella Coloniensis des WDR
  Bruno Weil, conductor
  Harmonia Mundi; 2001

Vor Hundert Jahren, S. 347 (37.52)
     Nadja Robiné, narrator
     Sebastian Kowski, narrator
  Staatskapelle Weimar
  Kirill Karabits, conductor
  Audite; 2020

Find more Liszt recordings HERE!