Composer, pianist, organist, and conductor Franz Liszt is a fascinating and intriguing figure in the music world. His legendary and charismatic personality, along with his musical innovations, significantly influenced Romanticism and the subsequent generations of composers.
Alexandra Kaptein
Liszt: Lebenswanderung
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About the album
Composer, pianist, organist, and conductor Franz Liszt is a fascinating and intriguing figure in the music world. His legendary and charismatic personality, along with his musical innovations, significantly influenced Romanticism and the subsequent generations of composers. Liszt’s innovations involved the changing role of the piano, the development of tonality, and the connection of art, literature, and religion with music.
I recently discovered Liszt’s transcriptions and was amazed at their quantity. Almost half of his œvre consists of arrangements of music by other composers, and song transcriptions are a specific subcategory. Here, Liszt creates “Lieder ohne Worte” or “songs without words” because the poetry and text, which are crucial elements of the songs, are missing. It’s fascinating to see how Liszt translates the poetic content into the musical narrative, creating an additional interpretive layer that enhances the symbolic content of the poem. Through pianistic and virtuosic elaborations, Liszt changes the aesthetic of the performance. Playing and analyzing these transcriptions has changed my love and appreciation for these pieces. We’re fortunate to have Liszt’s transcriptions notated, since they are translations from one medium to another, bringing out what Liszt believed to be the essence of the original composition, becoming far less ambiguous than the original compositions.
Tracklist click to play/pause
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Franz Liszt
Winterreise, 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S.561
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Gute Nacht
5:39
5:39
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Die Nebensonnen
4:53
4:53
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Mut
1:29
1:29
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Die Post
3:40
3:40
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Erstarrung
3:23
3:23
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Wasserflut
4:02
4:02
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Der Lindenbaum
5:18
5:18
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Der Leiermann
3:05
3:05
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Täuschung
1:53
1:53
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Das Wirtshaus
4:33
4:33
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Der stürmische Morgen
1:04
1:04
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Im Dorfe
4:32
4:32
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Franz Liszt
12 Lieder von Robert Franz, S.489
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Auf geheimen Waldespfaden, Op. 2 No. 1
2:21
2:21
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Drüben geht die Sonnescheiden, Op. 2 No. 2
3:34
3:34
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Trübe wird’s, Op. 2 No. 3
1:38
1:38
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Sonnenuntergang, Op. 2 No. 4
1:20
1:20
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Auf dem Teich, Op. 2 No. 5
2:50
2:50
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Der Schalk, Op. 3 No. 1
3:19
3:19
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Meerestille, Op. 8 No. 2
3:01
3:01
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Der Bote, Op. 8 No. 1
4:33
4:33
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Treibt der Sommer seine Rosen, Op. 2 No. 5
1:58
1:58
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Gewitternacht, Op. 8 No. 6
5:29
5:29
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Das ist ein Brausen und Heulen, Op. 8 No. 4
1:40
1:40
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Frühling und Liebe, Op. 3 No. 3
2:07
2:07
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More information
| Label | TRPTK |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Classical – Classical (1750-1830) Classical – Romantic (1830-1920) |
| Artist(s) | Alexandra Kaptein |
| Composer(s) | Franz, Robert Liszt, Franz Schubert, Franz |
| Recording location(s) | Muziekcentrum van de Omroep - Studio 1, Hilversum (NL) |
| Recording date(s) | August 2023 |
| Cat. No. | TTK 0111 |
|---|---|
| Release date |
April 12th, 2024 |
| Additional links |
Tech specs
| Microphones | Josephson C617 w/ Gefell MK221 capsules (main) |
|---|---|
| Microphone preamps | Grace Design m801mk2 |
| AD/DA conversion | Merging Technologies Hapi MkII |
| Recording resolution | DSD 11.2MHz 1bit |
| Mastering resolution | PCM 352.8kHz 64bit |
| Monitoring (recording) | Audeze LCD-X |
| Monitoring (mastering) | Grimm Audio LS1be |
| Cabling | Purecable Optimus Link Microphone Cables |
"Liszt wouldn’t be Liszt if he had not sought to incorporate numerous complexities into the structure of the scores. However, under the capable hands of Alexandra, these difficulties disappear into handsome ornaments animating each of the transcriptions. The apparent ease with which she paints the varying colours and poetry of the 24 Lieder is simply amazing. I rest my case. This young Dutch pianist has done it for me. Thanks a lot, Alexandra!"
Adrian Quanjer, HRAudio
"On Lebenswanderung, Kaptein takes you on an intriguing walk through life. She tells her sincere and honest musical story in all tranquility. Nowhere does the music sound hasty or rushed. She always takes the time to crystallize harmony, melody and dynamics and unite them into a natural story, here and there even to orchestral heights. In this way you are taken on an (inner) musical journey that is not only performed exceptionally well, but is also enchantingly beautiful!"
Mattie Poels, Music Frames
"Great appreciation for Alexandra Kaptein who, through playing and research, unveils Liszt's world of transcriptions to us. [...] All this makes this recording an almost spiritual experience where one feels that the musician and the instrument are in one's living room."
Emile Stoffers, Luister
"Alexandra Kaptein, who is gifted with a rare sense of solid technique, deploys it to its fullest in order to optimally express the lyricism and drama of Wilhelm Müller's poetry in Schubert's setting. She possesses a nuanced tone, perfectly captured in TRTPK producer Brendon Heinst's qualitatively unsurpassable recording."
Christo Lelie, Piano Bulletin
"It's interesting to have the textual component available to clarify narrative details as they develop song by song, but in truth nothing more than the instrumental rendering is needed to be intoxicated by both the material and Kaptein's performance. As debuts go, hers is impressive."
Ron Schepper, Textura
"For Alexandra Kaptein's piano performance, great admiration is fitting. Her technique is impeccable, her art of interpreting shows great empathy. She takes the listener on an evocatively streamlined journey in which imaginative expression prevails. She feels this music intuitively well, allows its poetic nature to come out well and, moreover, has apparently listened well to song duos."
Aart van der Wal, Opus Klassiek
