Joyful, thankful feelings after the storm’ finds Liszt at one with Beethoven’s spirit. Just as Beethoven extends the demands on his orchestra in the interest of special effects, so does Liszt mirror them in equivalent pianistic devices, and the relief when the storm subsides is almost tangible in both cases. ‘The Thunderstorm’ is an inspired piece of virtuoso writing. High points of the transcription include the wonderfully mad bit with the fiddle ostinato, the oboe melody and the artless bassoon – quite a challenge at the keyboard – and the whole 2/4 section which imitates the bagpipe and brings the flute counterpoint into much finer prominence than most orchestral balance usually achieves. Few conductors would gamble their reputations upon such a risk in performance, but it seems like an excellent idea to have in mind whilst performing the piece. Liszt apparently told Berlioz that he played the second eight bars of the ‘Happy gathering of the country folk’ slightly slower because they represented the old peasants – in contrast with the young peasants at the opening. And tranquil athleticism is the only way to describe the requirements at the recapitulation with its added clarinet and violin arpeggios. And not a ripple or birdsong is missed in the ‘Scene by the Brook’ – to the extent of some dangerous left-hand stretches simultaneous with combined trills and melodies in the right hand. In the ‘Awakening of joyful feelings upon arrival in the countryside’ (Liszt gives only French titles in the first version) one revels in the joy of finding all of Beethoven’s textures so faithfully reconceived in such grateful writing. But that said, the Sixth remains perhaps the most congenial of all of Liszt’s symphonic transcriptions from a pianistic point of view. The greatest problem facing the interpreter of Liszt’s transcription is the preservation of outward peace when the hands are being put through contortions, frequently involving the quiet stretching of elevenths. The historical details – and the title-page – of Liszt’s transcription are more or less identical to those for the Fifth Symphony.
Beethoven completed the work at about the same time as the previous symphony, in 1808. It was probably the first of the Beethoven symphonies that he set himself to transcribe, and he played at least the last three movements at many a public concert. A must have for any music collection.Liszt had a great success with the Sixth Symphony from the beginning.
This album won Perlmutter his first Grammy Award Nomination and was designated an American Library Association "Notable Recording." Beethoven's Wig is a timeless classic.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" said Pulse Magazine. At the end of the vocal renditions, each piece is performed without the words by a world-class orchestra, just as it was originally written. And for kids, parents and teachers there are activities to supplement the songs. Other favorites are "Just For Elise," in which Perlmutter rhymes everything with the name of one of Beethoven's many girlfriends, and "Please Don't Play Your Violin at Night," about Mozart's never ceasing desire to write and play music.Īs a bonus (one that's included in every Beethoven's Wig album), there are trivia questions about the pieces and the composers. There's "Beethoven's Wig" - a description the old master's giant hairpiece set to the immortal "5th Symphony." And "Tchaikovsky's Cannonball," the story of the "big bang" the composer made when he brought a cannon to a performance of his "1812 Overture." Also included is the song that audiences dance along to at every Beethoven's Wig concert, the famous "Can You Can Can?" set to the famous Can Can by Offenbach. On this album are some of Perlmutter's finest gems. It features Richard Perlmutter's witty, irreverent and hilarious lyrics set to some of the world greatest masterpieces of classical music.
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