The most complete set ever recorded of Liszt’s output for the organ: new recordings, made on the superb, recently restored instrument of Perugia Cathedral by a musician with a catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings on Brilliant Classics.
Liszt the piano virtuoso, the inventor of the orchestral symphonic poem, the apostle of ‘the music of the future’, is a familiar figure. Liszt the organ enthusiast is not so well known. His fondness for the instrument is shown by frequent references in his correspondence, by his transcriptions for it, and, most of all, by a handful of original masterpieces.
Liszt's first and largest work for the organ was the Fantasy and Fugue on Ad nos, ad salutarem undam, based on the chorale sung in the first act of Meyerbeer’s opera Le Prophète. ‘A kind of curiosity’, he wrote to his publisher, but then later to a friend accounted for it as ‘one of my least bad productions’. As well he might, for it is highly dramatic, full of fire and energy: the fugue is almost a symphonic poem in its own right, whose cumulative impact is succeeded only in his organ writing by the Prelude and Fugue on
B-A-C-H.
Liszt’s veneration for Bach also expressed itself in his other major original masterpiece for the instrument, the set of variations on the lamenting ‘Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen’ cantata melody. His profound faith and fascination with the tonal rainbow afforded by the organ also inspired a great deal of lesser-known music, however, both original and transcribed. Allegri’s Miserere receives a dramatic transcription, while the pellucid simplicity of Mozart’s Ave verum is treated respectfully, like the Agnus dei from Verdi’s Requiem. Indeed nearly all of Liszt’s output for the organ shares a devotional quality quite foreign to its common use among 19th-century composers as a vehicle for volume and virtuosity.
Adriano Falcioni’s recordings for Brilliant encompass many of the Romantic era’s most celebrated organ composers. Praise in Fanfare for his previous albums: ‘Falcioni clearly has the right feel for this repertoire, in tempos and registrations and ability to bind together phrases and sections into coherent larger wholes’ (Reger, 95075). ‘A top contender… Everything is idiomatically played by Adriano Falcioni on a fine instrument… Strongly recommended’ (Brahms, 94460). Further praise for the Reger album, recorded on the same organ as the present set of Liszt, came from the Italian Organ Compendium: ‘Highly recommended to our readers, who will find an excellent repertoire, a very good interpreter and an instrument of great interest.’
Many still think of Franz Liszt as that pianist with long hair who wrote and played effective and brilliant piano works, and who was apparently a great lover and, strangely, a monk as well. In reality, Liszt was a many‐faceted man of great cultivation and sensitivity whose enormous musical output was more or less ignored for decades, but nowadays more and more works are getting long‐needed examination and consideration.
Among these neglected works is the large corpus of Liszt organ music. Liszt played the organ himself, and his improvisations on the instrument made a shattering impact. Like in his piano music Liszt brought organ composition to a next level.
This new recording present the complete works for organ by Liszt. Apart from the famous and mighty B.A.C.H. Variations, the “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” Fantasy and the “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” Fantasy there is a wealth of unknown works, transcriptions, original works , liturgical works, and a complete Mass and Requiem.
Played by one of Italy’s foremost organists, Adriano Falcioni, on the Tamburini-Corna organ of the San Lorenzo cathedral in Perugia, a magnificent instrument which does full justice to the enormous scope of this music. The complete specifications of the instrument are included in the booklet.
Adriano Falcioni made already successful recording for Brilliant Classics of organ works by Franck, Brahms, Reger, Bruhns, Muffat and Daquin.
Franz Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral ad nos, ad salutarem undam, S.259: I. Moderato
Franz Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral ad nos, ad salutarem undam, S.259: II. Adagio
Franz Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral ad nos, ad salutarem undam, S.259: III. Allegro deciso – Fuge
Franz Liszt: Präludium und Fuge über B-A-C-H, S.260: I. Präludium
Franz Liszt: Präludium und Fuge über B-A-C-H, S.260: II. Fuge
Franz Liszt: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, S.179: I. Variationen
Disk 2
Franz Liszt: Évocation à la chapelle sixtine, S.658
Franz Liszt: Der Papst-Hymnus, S.766
Franz Liszt: Weimars Volkslied, S.672
Franz Liszt: Einleitung zur Legende der heiligen Elisabeth, S.663a
Franz Liszt: Hosannah, S.677
Franz Liszt: Ave Maria, S.667b
Franz Liszt: Nun danket alle gott, S.674b
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: I. Kyrie – Andante moderato
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: II. Gloria – Allegro
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: III. Graduale (ad libitum) – Andante pietoso
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: IV. Credo – Andante maestoso
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: V. Offertorium – Ave Maria(ad libitum) – Andante
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: VI. Sanctus – Maestoso
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: VII. Benedictus – Molto lento
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: VIII. Agnus dei – Lento assai
Franz Liszt: Missa pro organo lectarum celebrationi missarum adjumento inserviens, S.264: IX. Preludium Zum Haus des Hernn
Franz Liszt: Offertorium aus der Ungarischen Krönungemesse, S.667
Disk 3
Franz Liszt: Orpheus, S.672a - Symphonic Poem No. 4
Franz Liszt: Einleitung, Fuge und Magnificat aus der Symphonie zu Dantes Divina commedia, S.672b: I. Einleitung – Adagio, andante, un poco meno mosso
Franz Liszt: Einleitung, Fuge und Magnificat aus der Symphonie zu Dantes Divina commedia, S.672b: II. Fuga – Lamentoso
Franz Liszt: Einleitung, Fuge und Magnificat aus der Symphonie zu Dantes Divina commedia, S.672b: III. Magnificat – Più mosso ma non troppo, un poco lento, alla breve, più mosso
Franz Liszt: Tu es Petrus aus dem Oratorium Christus, S.664ii
Franz Liszt: Zur Trauung – Sposalizio, S.671
Franz Liszt: Ave Maris Stella, S.34i
Franz Liszt: Salve regina, S.669/1
Franz Liszt: Rosario, S.670: I Mysteria gaudiosa- Andante, un poco mosso, II Mysteria dolorosa – Andante, un poco lento, III Mysteria gloriosa – Andante, un poco animato
Franz Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum, S.186: I. Psallite – Allegro non troppo
Franz Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum, S.186: II. O heilige Nacht – Lento
Franz Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum, S.186: III. Die Hirten an der Krippe – Allegretto pastorale
Franz Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum, S.186: IV. Adeste Fideles – Tempo di marcia moderato
Disk 4
Franz Liszt: Introitus, S.268/1
Franz Liszt: Les morts – Oraison, S.268/2
Franz Liszt: Kreuzandachten: I. Einleitung – O Crux ave, spes unica – Andante maestoso
Franz Liszt: Kreuzandachten: II. Jesus meets his Holy Mother –Lento
Franz Liszt: Kreuzandachten: III. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus bear the cross – Andante
Franz Liszt: Kreuzandachten: IV. Jesus is stripped of his garments – Lento
Franz Liszt: Kreuzandachten: V. Jesus is taken down from the cross – Andante moderato
Franz Liszt: Consolation D-Flat Major
Franz Liszt: Consolation E Major
Franz Liszt: Resignazione, S187a/I
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: I. Requiem – Adagio sostenuto
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: II. Dies irae – Alla breve, molto mosso
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: III. Recordare pie Jesu – Lento assai
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: IV. Sanctus – Maestoso assai
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: V. Benedictus – Lento
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: VI. Agnus dei – Lento
Franz Liszt: Requiem für die Orgel, S.266: VII. Postludium – Lento
Franz Liszt: Gebet, S.667b/ii
Franz Liszt: Am Grabe Richard Wagners, S.267
Franz Liszt: San Francesco. S.665
Franz Liszt: Ora pro nobis – Litanei, S.262
Franz Liszt: Ungarns Gott, S.674
Franz Liszt: Andante religioso, S.261a
Franz Liszt: Excelsior! – Preludio, S.666
Disk 5
Franz Liszt: Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre arr. of “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” by O. Nicolai
Franz Liszt: Adagio vom Bach arr. of Violin Sonata No. 4, BWV1017
Franz Liszt: Einleitung und Fuge from the Cantata “Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis”, BWV21 by J.S. Bach
Franz Liszt: Andante from “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir”, BWV38 by J.S. Bach
Franz Liszt: Ave Maria based on Pierre-Louis Dietsch's Adaptation of a Madrigal by J. Arcadelt
Franz Liszt: 2 Preludes by F. Chopin: I. Prélude, Op. 28 No. 4
Franz Liszt: 2 Preludes by F. Chopin: II. Prélude, Op. 28 No. 9
Franz Liszt: Regina coeli laetare arr. of the Motet by O. De Lassus
Franz Liszt: Ave verum corpus de Mozart arr. of “ave verum corpus”, K618 by W.A. Mozart
Franz Liszt: Agnus dei della messa da requiem di Giuseppe Verdi Based on No. 5 of the Requiem by G. Verdi
Franz Liszt: Chor der jüngeren Pilger Based on the Chorus “Heil! Heil! Der Gnade Wunder Heil!” from Act III of “Tannhäuser”, WV.70 by R. Wagner
