Années de pèlerinage

[Mandryka]

The time has come for me to get my head round this monster which I've managed to avoid up to now. People are telling me that it's a summit, a masterpiece, so better strike while the iron's hot and I feel some enthusiasm for the task.

So HELP!!!!!! Where do I start? At the beginning? And who do I start with?

[MickyD]

I'm very fond of Daniel Grimwood's version played on an 1851 Erard piano.

[smittims]

I'd say start at the beginning : Suisse: William Tell's chapel. I think it's best to go through them in published order. Of course you will know that most of them are re-writes of earlier pieces, but I don't think one needs to go back that far. Certainly vol.1 has a freshness which benefits from being encountered first, then Italy, and then of course vol 3 is something else, with those dark pieces which need the experience of the first two volumes to grasp.

I'm not well up on recent recordings; I don't know if Jorge Bolet recorded them all. Brendel is excellent in vols. 1 & 2 but curiously he doesn't seem to have done vol.3.

Yes, I think it is a masterpiece all told; the whole is more than the sum of the parts. And I'm sure Liszt intended them to be heard in order, with the contrast and variety implied.

[gurnemanz]

I only really got to know these via Louis Lortie on Chandos, fitting conveniently complete on 2CDs. I acquired the discs when they came out about 10 years ago, after reading a glowing review. Beautiful, resonant sound from his Fazioli grand. It has become one of my favourite piano recordings..

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7995855--liszt-the-complete-annees-de-pelerinage

[Joseph K]

Lazar Berman's has been my go-to. I also have the Daniel Grimwood, though I haven't played that so much. I should probably play it more.

I also love Kun Woo Paik's disk of Liszt pieces which contains a few selections from the Years of Pilgrimage such as Au Lac de Wallenstadt and Les Jeux d'eaux... in fact it is that disk I would recommend to start with for any Liszt neophyte.

[Pulcinella]

The Jando set on Naxos was well thought of by the Penguin Guide:

Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, 1ère année, Suisse (9 pieces), S. 160

Jeno Jando (piano)
Jandó's performances of the Liszt Années de pèlerinage represents his most impressive achievement on record to date...first class, and the feeling throughout is very much of the spontaneity of... — Penguin Guide

[Mandryka]

Well there’s a coincidence. I just came back to say that I’ve been trying random BK 1 recordings on Qobuz and the one that’s caught my attention most so far is Jando! The reason is partly due to this very helpful comment of Smittims

Certainly vol.1 has a freshness which benefits from being encountered first, there

Jando’s book 1 is fresh!

(By the way, I’ll just mention I listened to Jando’s op 111 (LvB) last week - really enjoyable.)

[Jonathan]

If you'd like to get an appreciation of the pieces, it's really worthwhile starting with Leslie Howard's complete recording of the forerunners of most of them - the Album d'un Voyageur. The differences between (for example) "Vallee d'Obermann" and "Les Cloches d'Geneve" in this early version and the later, more familiar version, are quite something.

As for the Annees themselves, Stephen Hough's recording on Hyperion is superb (although I have yet to find a stormy enough rendition of Orage for my tastes) and I would recommend Bolet for the 2nd Annee. As an aside, I'd really like to hear Benjamin Grosvenor do the whole of this as his recent Liszt disc (with the Sonata) included a magnificent recording of the Petrach Sonnets. Ciccolini's 2nd Annee is also superb. As for the third, I actually really like Leslie Howard's performance of this (again, there are numerous versions of these works too - there are 7 of "Angélus! Prière aux anges gardiens", for example.

[Joseph K]

As an aside, I'd really like to hear Benjamin Grosvenor do the whole of this as his recent Liszt disc (with the Sonata) included a magnificent recording of the Petrach Sonnets.

[Mandryka]

I'm very fond of Daniel Grimwood's version played on an 1851 Erard piano.

This piano makes quite a major difference, for me most positively when the music is loud. An interesting find, thanks.

[ahinton]

Années de pèlerinage seems to me to represent the very core of Liszt's piano output; as I once remarked to Liszt specialist Leslie Howard, "this is Liszt for those who believe that they don't care for Liszt"...

[smittims]

As I see no-one's mentioned Lazar Berman's complete 3-disc Deutsche Grammophon version, I put in a good word for it here.

Jeno Jando was a remarkable , indefatigable mainstay of the Naxos Catalogue and the extent of his recordings is breathtaking.

[Joseph K]

As I see no-one's mentioned Lazar Berman's complete 3-disc Deutsche Grammophon version, I put in a good word for it here.

See #5.

[smittims]

OOps, missed that. Thanks.

[Mandryka]

One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that my taste in piano music has a good deal in common with William Barrington Coupe’s. I very much enjoy the Hatto pianists.

Yesterday I listened to Jeno Jando playing Années Bk 1. I thought it was fabulous because it is so fresh sounding. Imagine my surprise to see that he played Book 1 on the Hatto.

So I investigated who played Book 2. There the story is more complicated, but one of the pianists involved was Michael Dalberto on Denon. And what do you know? It’s good! Maybe not the best sound, but I can live with it for the performances.