IDAGIO | Liszt: Complete Piano Music 45 – Rapsodie espagnole 00602465386196

Featuring

Leslie Howard
Franz Liszt

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Performer Biography

Leslie Howard, the pianist on this album, undertook the largest recording project ever by a solo pianist: the complete solo piano music of Franz Liszt, spanning 95 compact discs.

Composition History

Many of Liszt's compositions, including those on this album, were never performed by him in public.

Composition History

The Grand Concert Fantasy upon Spanish Themes, dated 1845, was not published until after Liszt's death in 1887, with a dedication to his first biographer, Lina Ramann.

Compositional Technique

Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody, subtitled Folies d'Espagne et Jota aragonesa, incorporates variations on La folia, which form a passacaglia in C sharp minor.

Composer Biography

Franz Liszt toured Spain and Portugal for six months starting in October 1844, where he first encountered some of the melodies he later used in his piano pieces.

Performer Biography

Leslie Howard has been awarded the Grand Prix du Disque five times, with an additional Special Grand Prix du Disque for completing his Liszt recording series.

Historical Context

In the 19th century, music with a Spanish flavor became more popular than truly Spanish art or folk music, similar to the chinoiserie vogue in interior decoration.