Le 28 juin 2017
de 11h00 à 11h30
Le Patio (université de Strasbourg)
22 rue René Descartes, 67000 Strasbourg
salle 3206
Séance - Readings of Franz Liszt
Pré-acte / Acte
Auteur : Susan Wollenberg
Ever since a serendipitous find in a library led me to R.C. Lee’s edition of three late piano pieces by Liszt, I have cherished a strong sense of the particular qualities of the third of these, his ‘Sospiri!’, A 233/5, no. 5 of the Fünf kleine Klavierstücke (not to be confused with ’Un sospiro’, no. 3 of his Trois études de concert, A 118). Once again, as in previous encounters with the piano miniature genre, I found myself contemplating a case of multum in parvo (‘much in a small space’). Such ‘miniatures’ invite a multi-layered analysis, responding to the richly-packed content within their small frame.
In my paper I seek to draw out the layers of meaning embedded in Liszt’s piece and its evocative title (as well as considering the non-verbal programme it may contain); I suggest some interpretations of the piece’s significance in relation to Liszt’s life, his pianistic style, ideas of ‘late Liszt’, and ideas of place – in this case, Venice, with its associations for Liszt and his contemporaries. In addition I propose a formal interpretation of the seemingly unique structure of ‘Sospiri!’, together with an investigation of the processes and effects of memory and nostalgia conveyed by this tiny, somewhat neglected, gem of a piano ‘fragment’.
With this project I hope to contribute to new developments in rethinking genre, and ways of analysing the musical miniature, while shining light on a rewarding piece hardly discussed in the literature.
