LDV95

What does the oeuvre of Franz Liszt represent for you? What would the musical world be today without Liszt’s decisive contribution? I admire him as both the visionary artist and the extraordinary personality who was adulated on the concert platform, yet chose to end his life wearing the soutane of an abbé. How did this man, who lived through the sonic revolution of the nineteenth century, manage in his last works to reach the frontiers of atonality? The fundamental changes in instrument making, the revelation of the modern symphony orchestra, all of this nourished Liszt’s musical philosophy. What’s more, Liszt was a musical idealist and his output seems to me to be intended for an instrument . . . which does not exist! How else can we explain the fact that half of his catalogue is given over to transcriptions, arrangements and paraphrases? He himself created new instruments, such as his ‘harmonium-piano’, or the ‘silent keyboard’ which enabled him to compose in any circumstances. With his all- encompassing curiosity, it was natural for him to take an interest in the organ and its development. The appearance of the symphonic organ in France at the instigation of Cavaillé-Coll and the work of organ builders such as Ladegast in Germany could not fail to attract his attention. On this disc, I wanted to demonstrate the infinite colours and expressions suggested by his compositional style, but also the inspirational role his genius has played in the history of music – hence the album’s title. OLIVIER LATRY 17