Alexandra Kaptein

Liszt: Lebenswanderung

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.

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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

  • Franz Liszt

    Winterreise, 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S.561

    1. Gute Nacht
      5:39 Play button Pause button 5:39
    2. Die Nebensonnen
      4:53 Play button Pause button 4:53
    3. Mut
      1:29 Play button Pause button 1:29
    4. Die Post
      3:40 Play button Pause button 3:40
    5. Erstarrung
      3:23 Play button Pause button 3:23
    6. Wasserflut
      4:02 Play button Pause button 4:02
    7. Der Lindenbaum
      5:18 Play button Pause button 5:18
    8. Der Leiermann
      3:05 Play button Pause button 3:05
    9. Täuschung
      1:53 Play button Pause button 1:53
    10. Das Wirtshaus
      4:33 Play button Pause button 4:33
    11. Der stürmische Morgen
      1:04 Play button Pause button 1:04
    12. Im Dorfe
      4:32 Play button Pause button 4:32
  • Franz Liszt

    12 Lieder von Robert Franz, S.489

    1. Auf geheimen Waldespfaden, Op. 2 No. 1
      2:21 Play button Pause button 2:21
    2. Drüben geht die Sonnescheiden, Op. 2 No. 2
      3:34 Play button Pause button 3:34
    3. Trübe wird’s, Op. 2 No. 3
      1:38 Play button Pause button 1:38
    4. Sonnenuntergang, Op. 2 No. 4
      1:20 Play button Pause button 1:20
    5. Auf dem Teich, Op. 2 No. 5
      2:50 Play button Pause button 2:50
    6. Der Schalk, Op. 3 No. 1
      3:19 Play button Pause button 3:19
    7. Meerestille, Op. 8 No. 2
      3:01 Play button Pause button 3:01
    8. Der Bote, Op. 8 No. 1
      4:33 Play button Pause button 4:33
    9. Treibt der Sommer seine Rosen, Op. 2 No. 5
      1:58 Play button Pause button 1:58
    10. Gewitternacht, Op. 8 No. 6
      5:29 Play button Pause button 5:29
    11. Das ist ein Brausen und Heulen, Op. 8 No. 4
      1:40 Play button Pause button 1:40
    12. Frühling und Liebe, Op. 3 No. 3
      2:07 Play button Pause button 2:07

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

Download Booklet(PDF)

Tech specs

Microphones

Josephson C617 w/ Gefell MK221 capsules (main)
Josephson C42 (height)

Microphone preamps

Grace Design m801mk2

AD/DA conversion

Merging Technologies Hapi MkII
Merging Technologies Anubis
Grimm Audio CC2

Recording resolution

DSD 11.2MHz 1bit

Mastering resolution

PCM 352.8kHz 64bit

Monitoring (recording)

Audeze LCD-X

Monitoring (mastering)

Grimm Audio LS1be
Grimm Audio SB1

Cabling

Purecable Optimus Link Microphone Cables
Purecable Optimus Power
Purecable Prime DIG75 Wordclock Cable

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

SKU: TTK 0111 DL Category:
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