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ROGER MURARO
The set of Hungarian Rhapsodies, inspired by the
verbunkos
with its sequence of
two contrasting movements, the
lassú
, a slow, reflective section, and the
friss
, a
coda in the form of a dance, is much more diversified than is generally thought.
Rhapsody no.10 (1847) begins literally like an étude, then is gradually transformed
into a fantasia-like piece inwhich the dance becomes a pretext for an astoundingly
original language.
For Liszt, indeed, form was often merely a pretext, as was the ostensible subject.
For instance,
Saint François de Paule marchant sur les flots
(St Francis of Paola walking
on the waters, 1862) combines naive Catholic imagery in themanner of Giottowith
a gripping study in crescendo: at the centre of the piece, Liszt generates a tidal
wave of sound, a veritable flood that exceeds naturalistic illustration to achieve an
almost supernatural dimension.
But every aspect of Liszt’s piano is summed up in the
supremely accomplished structure of the Sonata in
B minor (1853), which opens before us a world where
perfection of form goes hand in hand with a literary
aim and attains a quasi-philosophical dimension. It is
the culmination both of Roger Muraro’s recording and
of his itinerary through Liszt’s pianistic output, and the
principal subject of the interview that follows.