The final piece of Liszt's Première Année: Suisse, 'Les Cloches de Genève,' is in B major, a key Liszt associated with eternal life and the first letter of his newborn daughter Blandine's name.
Compositional Technique
The tonal architecture of Liszt's Première Année: Suisse is governed by three keys—C, E, and A-flat—which form a symmetrical division of the octave.
Performer Biography
Jeffrey LaDeur is the founder and artistic director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and president of the American Liszt Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
Performer Biography
Jeffrey LaDeur, the pianist on this album, made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on the centennial of Claude Debussy's death.
Composer Biography
Franz Liszt, a towering figure of the 19th century, invented the solo piano recital and retired from public performance at the age of 36.
Composition History
Liszt's 1835 pilgrimage to Switzerland, chronicled in Première Année: Suisse, was a 'hero's journey' born out of a crisis involving his relationship with Countess Marie d'Agoult.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in August 2020 at the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, using a Hamburg Steinway D piano.
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