Meyerbeer’s operas are the basis for some of Liszt’s most musically ingenious and technically formidable transcriptions and paraphrases. These include the Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” (originally for organ but later arranged by Liszt for piano duet, and by Busoni for piano solo) and the Grande fantaisie dramatique on Les Huguenots. Perhaps Liszt wanted to show Meyerbeer a thing or two about spectacle, or simply make these once-ubiquitous pieces more interesting from a harmonic standpoint. The transcriptions from Le Prophète, Robert le diable, and L’Africaine comprising this release similarly reveal Liszt’s pianistic aesthetic in full bloom.
Pianist Sergio Gallo’s capabilities and grasp of the notes are never in question, yet inspiration manifests itself only in fits and starts. In the three Illustrations de Prophète, for example, you’ll find long stretches of elegantly spun, rapid right-hand filigree alongside less rhythmically pointed articulation of the famous “Coronation March” theme in comparison to Leslie Howard’s more incisive reading.
There’s a sequence in the Réminiscences de Robert le diable where Liszt scores the big waltz theme for octaves in both hands followed by chords in quick succession. It’s not impossible to execute, yet Gallo’s relatively soft-grained playing pales next to Howard’s, or when compared to Earl Wild’s stylish panache in his world-premiere recording. In the “Marche indienne” from L’Africaine, Gallo launches into the Allegro marziale finale with a heavy touch, and largely disregards the tempo modifications that Howard observes to exciting effect. The overly close and claustrophobic engineering doesn’t help, although Liszt fans will welcome Keith Anderson’s well written and informative annotations.
