Liszt: Les Préludes; Mazeppa; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 / Smetana: Vyšehrad; The Moldau

In this album, the orchestra is the Berlin Philharmonic and the conductor is Herbert von Karajan.

## Smetana: Vltava (The Moldau)

*Vltava*, also known by its English title The Moldau, and the German *Die Moldau*, was composed between 20 November and 8 December 1874 and was premiered on 4 April 1875 under Adolf Čech. It is about 13 minutes long, and is in the key of E minor. In this piece, Smetana uses tone painting to evoke the sounds of one of Bohemia's great rivers. Vltava contains Smetana's most famous tune. It is an adaptation of the melody *La Mantovana*, attributed to the Italian renaissance tenor, Giuseppe Cenci, which, in a borrowed Romanian form, was also the basis for the Israeli national anthem, *Hatikvah*. The tune also appears in an old Czech folk song, *Kočka leze dírou* ("The Cat Crawls Through the Hole"); Hanns Eisler used it for his "Song of the Moldau”; and Stan Getz performed it as “Dear Old Stockholm” (possibly through another derivative of the original tune, “Ack Värmeland du sköna”). The piece is featured in the 2011 American movie *The Tree of Life*.

### Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following instruments: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, 2 harps, and strings.

## Smetana: Vyšehrad

The first poem, *Vyšehrad* (The High Castle), composed between the end of September and 18 November 1874 and premiered on 14 March 1875 at the [Prague] Philharmonic, describes the Vyšehrad castle in Prague which was the seat of the earliest Czech kings. During the summer of 1874, Smetana began to lose his hearing, and total deafness soon followed; he described the gradual, but rapid loss of his hearing in a letter of resignation to the director of the Royal Provincial Czech Theatre, Antonín Čížek. In July 1874 he began hearing anomalous noise and then a permanent buzzing. Not long after the onset he was unable to distinguish individual sounds. At the beginning of October he lost all hearing in his right ear, and finally on 20 October in his left. His treatment was based on maintaining isolation from all sounds, but was unsuccessful.

The poem begins with the sounds of the harp of the mythical singer Lumír, and then crosses over into the tones of the castle's arsenal. This section of the music introduces the main motifs, which are used in other parts of the cycle. A four note motif (Bb-Eb-D-Bb) represents the castle of Vyšehrad; this is heard again at the end of 'Vltava' and once more, to round the whole cycle off, at the conclusion of 'Blaník'.

In the score two harps are required to perform the opening arpeggios. After a dominant seventh chord, the winds take up the theme, followed by the strings, before the whole orchestra is employed to reach a climax. In the next part, Smetana recalls the story of the castle, using a faster tempo which becomes a march. A seemingly triumphant climax is cut short by a descending passage depicting the collapse of the castle, and the music falls quiet. Then the opening harp material is heard again and the music reminds again of the beauty of the castle, now in ruins. The music ends quietly, depicting the River Vltava flowing below the castle.

Conceived between 1872 and 1874, it is the only piece in the cycle to be mostly completed before Smetana began to go noticeably deaf in the summer of 1874. Most performances last approximately fifteen minutes in duration.

### Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following instruments: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, 2 harps, and strings.

## Liszt: Les Préludes - Symphonic Poem No. 3

'Les préludes' ("Preludes" or "The Beginnings"), S.97, is the third of Franz Liszt's thirteen symphonic poems. The music was composed between 1849–55, and began as an overture to Liszt's choral cycle 'Les quatre élémens' (The Four Elements), then revised under inspiration from the French poet Alphonse de Lamartine. Its premiere was on 23 February 1854, conducted by Liszt himself. The score was published in 1856 by Breitkopf & Härtel. 'Les préludes' is the earliest example of an orchestral work entitled "Symphonic Poem" (German: *Symphonische Dichtung* or French: *Poème symphonique*).

### Instrumentation

*Les préludes* is written for a large orchestra of strings, woodwind, brass (including tuba and bass trombone), harp and a variety of percussion instruments (timpani, side drum, bass drum and cymbals).

### Reception

The critic Eduard Hanslick, who believed in 'absolute music', lambasted *Les préludes*. In an 1857 article, following a performance in Vienna, he denounced the idea of a 'symphonic poem' as a contradiction in terms. He also denied that music was in any way a 'language' that could express anything, and mocked Liszt's assertion that it could translate concrete ideas or assertions. The aggrieved Liszt wrote to his cousin Eduard "The *doctrinaire* Hanslick could not be favourable to me; his article is perfidious". Other critics, such as Felix Draeseke, were more supportive.

## Liszt: Mazeppa - Symphonic Poem No. 6

*Mazeppa* is a symphonic poem composed by Franz Liszt from 1851 to 1854, part of the long cultural legacy of the Ukrainian hero. *Mazeppa*, S. 100, is the sixth in the cycle of thirteen symphonic poems written during Liszt's time in Weimar. It follows the story as told in Lord Byron's 1819 poem: Ivan Mazepa seduced a noble Polish lady, and in punishment was tied naked to a wild horse that carried him to Ukraine. There, he was released by the Cossacks, which later made him Hetman (military leader). The work premiered at the Court Theatre in Weimar on April 16, 1854.

### Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following instruments: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglaos, clarinet in D, 2 clarinets in A, bass clarinet in C, 3 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets (2 in Eb/D, 1 in E/D), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, bass drum and strings.

## Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4

Please note that Deutsche Grammophon made an error. This piece is supposed to be Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. In both the original piano solo form and in the orchestrated version this composition has enjoyed widespread use in animated cartoons. Its themes have also served as the basis of several popular songs. In this recording, Karl Müller Berghaus orchestrated the piece.

### Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following instruments: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb and A (doubling on the piccolo clarinet and clarinet in D), 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in D, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, glockenspiel, harp, and strings.

### Legacy

The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 has been prominently used in animated cartoons and popular media, most famously in *The Cat Concerto*, which won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons and *Rhapsody Rabbit*, directed by Friz Freleng. The first such appearance in a cartoon was as part of a piano solo by Mickey Mouse in *The Opry House* in 1929 where he has to deal with an animated piano, and the second cartoon which did it was *Bars and Stripes*, another full orchestral version was featured in the Fleischer cartoon *A Car-Tune Portrait*. With a different set of lyrics, Hungarian Rhapsody became the Capitol children's record "Daffy Duck's Rhapsody", sung by Mel Blanc in his Daffy Duck persona, and still another cartoon connection for the rhapsody. Walter Lantz also gave Woody Woodpecker a chance to perform the piece in *Convict Concerto*, in which Woody tries to tune a piano under the aim of a bank robber's gun. It was used in some other Lantz cartoons before that, such as *The Candy House*, *The Athlete* and *Pin Feathers*. In 1945, José Iturbi played this piece in the film *Anchors Aweigh* (1945). Jack Carson and Doris Day sing "Freddy Get Ready" to the tune of the piece in *My Dream Is Yours* (1949) along with Bugs Bunny. In the film *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, director Robert Zemeckis pays tribute to "Number 2"'s cartoon heritage by using the piece for the "dueling pianos" scene featuring Daffy Duck and Donald Duck. Warner Brothers also used it again in the *Tiny Toon Adventures* episode *C Flat or B Sharp?*, in which Buster Bunny, Plucky Duck and Hamton must take the piano that is on top of the Acme Looniversity's main tower to the concert room, following the orders of Yosemite Sam. The soundtrack of this episode is a shorter version of the composition, and no lines are spoken. Victor Borge played the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 on *The Muppet Show* with Rowlf the Dog. He also played a duo version with Şahan Arzruni, in which they played on the same piano, and changed the parts to make it fun to the viewers. On Sesame Street, the tune was used in the song "The Curious Cantata", and it was sung by Luis, Maria, Bob and Big Bird. The soundtrack to the 1977 Hungarian animated film *Mattie the Goose-boy* is a Gypsy-style version of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Daróci Bárdos Tamás [hu]. The final scenes of the 1982 cult film documentary *The Atomic Cafe* feature the rhapsody as the accompaniment to a nuclear war.

## Program Note - Passionate Narratives

Smetana's Má vlast, with its Bohemian scenery and background of Bohemian history and legend, can be enjoyed as a close neighbour of Liszt's Hungarian landscapes. Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra had no qualms about including these popular scores in their repertory, or doing the composers the courtesy of exemplary recordings. Those of Vyšehrad and Vltava, the first two of the cycle of six symphonic poems in Má vlast, date from 1967. In the first Smetana depicts the great days and the decline of the great castle on the Vyšehrad rock; in the second he traces the course of the River Vltava as it ushers us into his loving panorama of the land and its people, its scenery and its history. Vyšehrad is well rendered in the programmatic notes

## Reviews

Here is a composer [Liszt] who constantly stimulates the BPOs conductor to his freshest and most imaginative performances. *Gramophone Good CD Guide*

Karajan brings the music fully alive, and he is also most persuasive in the beautiful opening and closing pages of Vyšehrad, dominated by the bard-like harp. *Penguin Guide*

These are all larger-than-life performances which daringly flaunt any danger of vulgarity, and the sheer bravura combined with finely polished ensemble totally justifies that flaunting in such music. The opening of the Hungarian Rhapsody turns the Berlin Philharmonic into the biggest and most opulent gypsy band in history. *Gramophone*

The immeasurably productive collaboration between Herbert von Karajan and Deutsche Grammophon lasted for nearly half a century. The months around the turn of the year 1960-61 were notable for a concentration on the works of Liszt. Such concentrations have their place in longer-term plans, of course, but this one is nevertheless rather remarkable. To the listener, browsing in gramophone history, the discovery of a "Liszt phase" in Karajan's career is all the encouragement needed to set aside the more familiar Les Préludes, with its thematic underlinings and fervent sincerity, and give the wildly tumultuous Mazeppa a whirl, or let the alternation of slow, melancholic themes and fast, giddy ones work upon the senses. It is a juxtaposition which is characteristic of gypsy music in general and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody no.4 in particular.

## Links

For the playlist of the album, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zeOGp3JIOc&list=OLAK5uy\_nIqzMFmHpaqTH1Oh7PysWHve-W2h0DQCw

For more details on the album, click here: https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/liszt-les-preludes-smetana-ma-vlast-karajan-7555

For the official Deutsche Grammophon website, click here: https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en

## Notes

* Art Direction - Hartmut Pfeiffer
* Composers - Bedřich Smetana, Franz Liszt
* Conductor - Herbert von Karajan
* Engineer - Günter Hermanns
* Executive-Producers - Otto Gerdes, Elsa Schiller
* Illustration, Cover - Gerhard Noack
* Liner Notes - Peter Cossé, Mary Whittall, Gabriele Cervone
* Orchestra - Berlin Philharmonic
* Photographer - Siegfried Lauterwasser
* Producers - Otto Gerdes, Hans Weber
* Sound - Stereo
* Recording dates - February 1961 (Mazeppa), April 1967
* Recording venue - Berlin, Jesus-Christus-Kirche
* Total duration - 72'16