Beethoven: Complete Symphonies Transcribed for Piano by Liszt

Featuring

Giovanni Bellucci
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Liszt's goal in transcribing Beethoven's symphonies was to transfer not just the overall idea, but also the multitude of details and accessories that contribute to the perfection of the whole, to the piano.

Cultural Impact

The evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins' term 'meme' (from the Greek for imitation) is used to describe how Franz Liszt aimed to 'propagate the sense of beauty' through his transcriptions.

Composition History

Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist, began transcribing Beethoven's symphonies for piano in 1838, initially completing only the fifth, sixth ('Pastoral'), and seventh symphonies.

Performer Biography

Giovanni Bellucci, the pianist on this recording, was included in Diapason magazine's Top Ten Liszt pianists of all time, alongside Martha Argerich and other renowned musicians.

Compositional Technique

A contemporary account describes how Liszt's piano arrangement of Berlioz's 'March au Supplice' from Symphonie Fantastique, played after the full orchestra, had an effect even surpassing the original.

Critical Reception

For many years, Liszt's Beethoven symphony transcriptions received a 'cold shoulder' from organizers and negative reviews, until Glenn Gould, a Canadian pianist, released recordings in the late 1960s.

Recording & Production

This recording of Beethoven/Liszt symphonies is the result of Giovanni Bellucci's twenty-year journey, involving numerous public performances of over four hundred and sixty pages of scores.