Liszt - Elsas Brautzug zum Münster, S445/2 (William Wolfram)

"In your last letter you ask me to tell you about Wagner. There would be much to say. Wagner by himself through his books…and his three dramas—The Flying Dutchman—Tannhäuser and Lohengrin—has done the work of a whole body of engineers and sappers. It will be at least a dozen years for his ideas to be digested and for the seeds he has sown to rise up and produce their harvests."—letter from Liszt to his cousin Eduard Liszt, 1854.

This piece (dated from 1852) comes from the opera of Wagner (specifically Lohengrin) whose long and storm-tossed friendship with Liszt is one of the most complex in musical history; Liszt’s enthusiasm and financial and practical support for the living composer he most revered is very well documented, as is the fact of Liszt’s being entrusted with producing and conducting the first performances of Lohengrin since Wagner was in exile on pain of death after his prominent support of the 1848 revolution (typically, Liszt received small thanks from Wagner for his efforts). For some reason, Liszt issued this transcription of Elsa’s Bridal Procession with his flamboyant account of the ‘Entry of the Guests’ from Tannhäuser, with which it scarcely belongs, so that will be scored (at some point) separately. Wolfram gives an impassioned rendition.

[javiergilvidal]

The complexity of the notation is mind-boggling! No matter how much you study, I can´t understand how you can ever read THAT!!!!

[marzieboom]

Wow wow wow. Liszt and Wagner are both smiling down on you. 👏🏼 👏🏼 BRAVO

[rakeshkrishna]

Thankyou so much. We're exploring different emotions, phases, types of Liszt each day that multi fold out to give pleasure to the ears and satisfaction to the soul. FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS

[marcalexandrefontenay]

Contribution de Liszt à la monumentale œuvre de son gendre R Wagner cette vibrante transcription de Lohengrin l’air d’Elsa ! Renversant !

[ap]

Only speculating, but... They had a strange relationship. Liszt admired him as much as Wagner did, even if he (After all Wagner was a real Leipziger 😂) seems to have been a bit cold hearted... The moment when Cosima excluded her father of the burial of Wagner...

[timbour]

Hisaishi really quoted this for "The wind rises" 😯

[jiaxuli]

it's probably my illusion but it sounds a little bit like Brahms?

[Santosificationable]

I just wonder, if you have heard the controversial work "Grubelei" allegedly transmitted by Liszt to the psychic Rosemary Brown? I'm not sure what you would say of it, but personally I love that piece...and I'm quite a Liszt fan.