A number of Liszt's symphonic poems are unfortunately rather hollow and bombastic. The works on this CD, however, belong to the better half of his oeuvre. Von der Wiege bis zum Grave, the last of the symphonic poems, was created in 1881 when Liszt was no longer a Kapellmeister. Especially the two corner movements are close to the introspective piano works of the late 'liturgical' Liszt. The theme
… of death also dominated the Trois Odes Funèbres, the first of which, Les Morts, was composed after the death of Liszt's only son Daniel. By taking a text by the priest Felicité de Lamennais as a starting point (the text can be read in the booklet), Liszt created an original musical structure. The CD ends with the magnificent Eerste Mephisto-Waltz (Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke) after the Faust version by Nikolaus Lenau. (HJ)more
