Barenboim plays Liszt (Verdi- und Wagner-Paraphrasen)

In Franz Liszt's own words, his Wagner transcriptions were "modest propaganda at the thirsty piano for the noble genius of Wagner". Liszt's importance for his future son-in-law Richard Wagner can hardly be overestimated. In his influential position as "Grand Ducal Kapellmeister in extraordinary service", as his position in Weimar was officially called from 1847-61, Liszt conducted the German second performance of "Tannhauser", which took place only four years after the premiere. The premiere of "Lohengrin" in Weimar in 1850 attracted an international audience: Meyerbeer, Franz Dingelstedt, Liszt's successor in Weimar, Bettina von Arnim, Karl Gutzkow, Adolf Stahr, and more.
In 1853, a performance of the "Flying Dutchman" took place. Liszt dealt with Wagner's work in comprehensive essays that were intended to dispel reservations and prejudices. Until his resigned departure from Weimar, where Liszt's policy of planning performances based on contemporary works clashed with the Grand Duke's ideas, he had taken Wagner's side. He had not succeeded in convincing the Grand Duke of the idea of building his own theatre for the performance of the "Ring". Weimar did not become Bayreuth.
In a recording from the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, Daniel Barenboim's interpretation shows that Wagner's arrangements are anything but "modest propaganda". In the confrontation with the compositional model, they become works in their own right, acquire their own artistic value and - according to Liszt's dictum - "not a small piece of music".
Liszt exploits the keyboard to its full extent. However, the fullness of touch and the new piano effects do not serve the purpose of brilliant virtuosity, as this "piano centaur" (Gregorovius) was accused of doing, but rather they serve to capture the dramatic character of the original. The amalgamation of the original work was the focus of these adaptations. In a transcription "Am Stillen Herd” from Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg", Franz Liszt addressed this theme in: "Zu eignem Wort und eigner Weis will einig es mir flieBen" ("To my own word and my own wisdom will it flow") is the title of Walther's song of praise. This conception of the arrangement of an original work is also ground-breaking. The work of art is no longer a one-time, binding creation. It is variable, open, changeable, open to development. Liszt also worked relentlessly on his own compositions, reworking many versions and producing "last hand" editions.

2 Episodes: Wagner transcriptions: 26' // Verdi transcriptions: 32'