Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 05/18/2016, uploaded on 01/17/2017

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

After Charles Gounod

Faust has been a popular character since its first appearance in German literature. In the nineteenth century, the story regained popularity when Goethe published his play, and it was natural that the famous story would be transformed by Charles Gounod into an opera, and then subsequently transcribed by Franz Liszt. In the same way as Mozart took a famous tune of the day to create twelve variations for the keyboard, Liszt often turned well-known melodies into concert paraphrases for his solo recitals.  In his Valse de Faust, Liszt begins with the famous Waltz scene from the opera, then inserts material from the duet between Faust and Gretchen, while maximizing the pianistic effects with added cadenzas and a bravura coda.      Notes by Esther Park

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.