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These forums are being phased out. The new, improved Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Forum is at classicalmusicforums.com.
Posted by Mikael on May 09, 19104 at 13:53:01:
In Reply to: Re: St Stanislaus posted by Dennis DeSantis on January 31, 19104 at 17:39:45:
St. Stanislaus
James Conlon, Conductor
Cincinnati SO
Michael Chertock, organ
May Festival Chorus
Kristine Jepson, mezzo-soprano
Donnie Ray Albert, baritone
TELARC-CD 80607
Five years ago a substantial part of St. Stanislaus appeared in print (A-R Editions,edited by Paul Merson). And now, out of nowhere, we are blessed with a live performance and a subsequent recording.
What we get here is the beginning (Scene I) and conclusion (Scene IV) of the oratorio. Liszt composed Scene I in 1874, which was a very productive year including such works as the Bells of Strasbourg Cathedral, the Cecilia Legend (final version) and Hymne de l’enfant a son reveil (final version). Liszt was probably inspired by the first complete performance of Christus in Weimar in May 1873. However, already back in 1869 he planned St. Stanislaus (and St. Stephen).
Scene I is generally a very sombre affair, and if you are looking for beautiful operatic melodies this is nothing for you. Here we get something of a “sprechgesang” (as found later in Via Crucis and Parsifal) accompanied by a lugubrious polonaise theme.
Somewhat lighter in mood is the aria of the St Stanislaus’ mother, which by the way was orchestrated by the editor (?). It reminds me slightly of Elisabeth’s great aria in the Elisabeth Legend.
Scene IV opens with the impressive orchestral interlude “Salve Polonia”. This is a revision of a work that Liszt wrote in 1863. It is supposed to depict King Boleslaw’s pilgrimage to a monastery in Austria. There the King and the monastic choir sing “De profundis” and then oratorio ends with the exclamation “Salve Polonia”. As noted in the accompanying booklet, there is a remarkable shift in mood on going from Salve Polonia to De Profundis. In the piano version, the second part of “Salve Polonia” is optional, and maybe that should apply to the orchestral version as well. This would be a better transition to “De Profundis”, but that would leave out the national anthem. I’m quite convinced that Liszt would have completed the oratorio and (Scene IV in a different way) if his failing eye sight had not prevented him.
Liszt was dissatisfied with some parts of the libretto (which was probably written by Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein and Gregorovius), and the libretto was therefore subsequently revised by Edler with some asistance from Carolyne’s daughter. Peter Cornelius, who provided the German translation, died in 1874, and that is probably the reason why Liszt made little progress for the next eight years or so. In the missing scenes two and three Stanislaus rebukes the King, and then the King murders the bishop in a fit of pasion.
Apparently Liszt first intended to include his two late Polonaises (written in 1875) in the fourth scene, but he must have changed his mind and replaced these with a revised version of his earlier orchestral piece “Salve Polonia”.
I am not completely satisfied with the recording. The voices are not as much in the foreground as one could wish and the strings are generally dominating too much. Hopefully the sound balance is better in the SACD-format.
Finally, I can recommend an older Polish recording (WIFON) of the “Salve Polonia”. On that recording there is a much better balance between strings, woodwind and bras, so that Liszt’s ingenious counterpoint is clearly audible.