Liszt: Am Grabe Richard Wagners, S202 (1883)

The Italian pianist Michele Campanella is acknowledged as one of the foremost virtuosos and interpreters of the music of Franz Liszt. The Franz Liszt Society in Budapest has awarded him their Grand Prix du Disque on three occasions, and in 1986 the Hungarian Ministry of Culture presented him with a medal for “Services to Liszt”, as did also the American Liszt Society in 2002. The recording of Wagner transcriptions and late piano works by Liszt presented here was a milestone on the pianist’s route to becoming a Liszt expert. It is particularly notable for being made using Richard Wagner’s own grand piano, which dates from 1876 and can be found at the Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth.

This first CD in Katsaris’ Liszt series illustrates five aspects of Liszt, all equally fascinating.

Separated onto two CDS, Disc 1 is themed ‘Gipsy and Romantic’ and Disc 2 ‘Avant-Garde’, ‘Homage a Wagner’ and ‘The Philosopher’.

Franz Liszt’s own Bechstein piano was donated to the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena as a result of a warm friendship that struck up in 1938 between the owner of the piano, Roberto Almagia, and the founder of the Accademia, Count Guido Chigi Saracini.

Almagia had bought it for his wife, but she had since died, and he was so impressed with the Count, he felt instinctively that the Accademia was the right place for the piano. In addition,Almagia knew that Liszt had links with Siena, as he had stayed there with Wagner and his family. This is a remarkable recording of the Italian pianist Michele Campanella performing a selection of Liszt’s late works on this historic instrument, in the grand and sumptuous Liszt salon within the 14th century Palazzo Chigi Saracini, the home of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.

This collection of Liszt’s late works reflects the composer’s feelings about old age, the virtuoso brilliance of his earlier works replaced by sparser textures and experimental harmonies, including the dark and glittering Valses Oubliées, the impressionistic Nuages Gris and En rève, and the series of musical memorials to Hungarian artists and statesmen, Historiche Ungarische Bildnisse. Michele Campanella is professor of piano at the Accademia. He is internationally known as one of the major interpreters of the Liszt repertoire, and was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque three years in a row by the Franz Liszt Academy in Budaest.

This fantastic Bechstein 247 is restored in 2010 in its original condition and now for the first time used for this first-class recording by Michele Campanella.

The repertoire maestro Campanella has chosen here fits perfectly with the sound of the piano, late works influenced by thoughts on death and the old age.

This piano was sent to Rome in 1860 were Liszt played it till he died in 1886. The piano was passed on to Liszt most famous pupil, Sgambati.

Michael Korstick, an interesting German pianist who attracts attention wherever he goes with his stupendous technique and supreme musicality, now continues his Liszt series with Années de Pèlerinage II.