FRANZ LISZT : Arabesques (Leslie Howard) (1998) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This programme of rare works on Russian and Hungarian themes exemplifies the philanthropic Liszt: most of these pieces are based on works or themes by his contemporaries, and show Liszt taking the opportunity to add his name to theirs in order to increase their sales as well as to disseminate their work. Some of his friends in Russian and Hungarian society are featured, too, and if their innate art is pitched at rather an amateur level, Liszt soon transforms the ideas into something memorable.
The two transcriptions which Liszt eventually issued together under the title Arabesques were conceived separately, and Solovei appeared in an earlier, rather boisterous version with a title page which attempted to make Cyrillic letters from Roman ones—with laughable results. The revised version used to be a staple encore piece, refashioning a charming song by a rather neglected minor Russian master with attractive emphasis on the imitation of the nightingale’s song. The printed editions of the Chanson bohemienne make no mention of the melody’s origins, but it seems to be the work of one Pyotr Petrovich Bulakhov (not to be confused in any way with Konstantin Bulhakov—see below), about whom the present writer is sadly uninformed. As with many of Liszt’s song transcriptions, the piece is tantamount to a set of variations.
More Notes of Leslie Howard