Liszt's Italian Pilgrimage

Franz Liszt (1811–1886) composed the Années de pèlerinage: Deuxième année: Italie (Years of Pilgrimage: Second Year: Italy) over a period of twenty years before their publication in 1858. The seven pieces that comprise this volume are all inspired by Italian art and literature, paying homage to Raphael, Michelangelo, Petrarca and Dante. This musical journey through Renaissance art commences with Sposalizio, a serene musical depiction of Raphael’s painting of the Marriage of the Virgin, before continuing with Il penseroso, inspired by Michelangelo’s sculpture adorning the tomb of Lorenzo de’ Medici in the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence. One of Liszt’s more frivolous miniatures, Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa, follows, acting as a humorous and charming introduction to the three Sonetti del Petrarca, in which we hear Liszt’s most impassioned and heartfelt romanticism. The journey concludes with the formidable Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi sonata, evoking the infernal and purgatorial torments of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (although there is also a hint of Paradiso towards the end). Liszt was greatly inspired by Italian art and culture and it had a profound influence on his compositional style. In An Artist’s Journey, Liszt describes his relationship to Italy: ‘The beauty in this special land became evident to me in its purest and most sublime form. Art in all its splendour disclosed itself to my eyes. It revealed its universality and unity to me. Day by day my feelings and thoughts gave me deeper insight into the hidden relationship that unites all works of genius. Raphael and Michelangelo increased my understanding of Mozart and Beethoven… Dante has found his expression in Orcagna and Michelangelo, and someday perhaps he will find his musical expression in the Beethoven of the future.’

Liszt’s Deux légendes (Two Legends) provide a fitting complement to the Deuxième année: Italie. The first Légende, St François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux (Saint Francis of Assisi’s Sermon to the Birds) begins by conjuring birdsong in the upper register of the piano, creating an almost impressionistic level of musical imagery before a solemn chorale-like passage slowly builds to a euphoric climax. The second Légende, St François de Paule marchant sur les flots (Saint Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves) conjures the rumbling of the ocean using the lower register of the piano. This work tells the story of the saint crossing the Strait of Messina using his cloak as a raft following the refusal of a ferryman to allow him to board his vessel. Both these works are of epic proportions and create a Wagnerian sense of scope, harmonic language, and religious symbolism.