1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Beethoven and more 2011 podcast #33: Respect for the master

October 14, 2011

The sweeping philosophical and musical arc of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is preserved fondly in Franz Liszt's adaptation of the symphony for two pianos.

https://p.dw.com/p/12sNV
Portrait of Franz Liszt painted by Henri Lehmann in 1839. source: wikipedia
Portrait of Franz Liszt painted by Henri Lehmann in 1839

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, op. 125, adapted for two pianos by Franz Liszt, S 757c: 3rd and 4th movements
Duo d'Accord
MP3 recorded on September 24, 2011 in the Beethoven Hall Bonn by Deutschlandfunk Cologne (DLF)

This recording was made during the Liszt Night at the Beethovenfest, an evening of concerts celebrating the bicentennial of the Hungarian composer's birth.

Liszt took some artistic license with the first work on the program, Mozart's "Don Giovanni," but did he do the same when setting the Beethoven symphony for piano?

"It's really the complete opposite here. With the Ninth, you sense Liszt's immense respect for Beethoven, and what we hear is really original Beethoven - you don't see that very often with Liszt!" said Lucia Huang of Duo d'Accord.

The famous themes and moments of the Ninth known the world over are preserved fondly in Liszt's straightforward adaptation. But it's one of the less trademark sections that stands out most to Duo d'Accord pianist Sebastian Euler.

"Really the most fascinating movement is the third with these incredibly long sections in the music that are filled with actually very few notes. But Beethoven still says so much there about life, equanimity, joy and music," he said.

Author: Greg Wiser
Editor: Rick Fulker