Liszt: Complete soirées de Vienne Alberto Ferro

• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): Soirées de Vienne, S.427:
• 1Soirées de Vienne, S.427: I. Allegretto malinconico in A-Flat Major08:21
• 2Soirées de Vienne, S.427: II. Poco allegro in A-Flat Major08:05
• 3Soirées de Vienne, S.427: III. Allegro vivace in E Major09:47
• 4Soirées de Vienne, S.427: IV. Andantino a capriccio in D-Flat Major06:48
• 5Soirées de Vienne, S.427: V. Moderato cantabile con affetto in G-Flat Major10:28
• 6Soirées de Vienne, S.427: VI. Allegro con strepito in A Minor07:06
• 7Soirées de Vienne, S.427: VII. Allegro spiritoso in A Major06:18
• 8Soirées de Vienne, S.427: VIII. Allegro con brio in D Major10:29
• 9Soirées de Vienne, S.427: IX. Preludio a capriccio in A-Flat Major08:24
• Total Runtime01:15:46

Info for Liszt: Complete soirées de Vienne

The huge literature of transcriptions by Franz Liszt (1811-1886) has always suffered a mixed reputation: prized by fellow composers from Busoni to Finnissy, performed by virtuosi from Arrau to Zilberstein, yet vilified by many critics. Even the composer’s long-term companion, Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, considered them ‘puerilities’. In the composer’s own lifetime they were thought inseparable from his incomparable artistry at the piano: Sir Charles Hallé told the story of a concert given by Liszt and Berlioz in Paris in 1836 in which Berlioz conducted the Marche au Supplice from the Symphonie Fantastique. At the conclusion of the movement, Liszt sat down and played his own partition of the work ‘with an effect even surpassing that of the full orchestra, and creating an indescribable furore.’

Love, enthusiasm, and veneration always marked Liszt's attitude toward Schubert, and he paid his tribute by word and deed. He transcribed many of the Lieder for solo piano and edited for publication most of his piano compositions. As a conductor at Weimar he even attempted to revive Schubert’s much-maligned operas. In the often-overlooked Soirées de Vienne, Liszt turned his keen and sympathetic eye to the six groups of piano waltzes which Schubert composed between 1815 and 1923. Unlike much of his music, they were published and widely distributed during his lifetime, brief and occasional works but full of Schubert’s inimitable spontaneity, entrancing melody, breathtaking modulations, emotional range, and sparingly deployed, pungent dissonance.

Liszt drew from all six groups in composing the Soirées de Vienne. He preserved the Viennese flavour of the original melodies, lending them just enough sonority to make them suitable for a concert hall without sacrificing their original intimacy and delicacy. He juxtaposed the tunes, made transitions from one to the next, with characteristic taste and discrimination. He refrained from heavy-handed virtuoso treatment, yet he achieved flashing brilliance whenever Schubert wrote with a bold or assertive pen. The ninth and last of the Soirées stands apart as an original set of variations with an introduction and coda upon Schubert’s so-called Trauerwalzer.

While No.6 of the collection has often been recorded, the complete Soirées de Vienne are rarely encountered either live or on record, making Alberto Ferro’s new recording all the more welcome. Born in 1996, he was a first-prize winner of several significant competitions before making his career as both a performer and teacher (professor of piano at the conservatoire in Foggia). The present release marks his debut on Piano Classics.

Franz Liszt, indefatigable pianist, conductor and composer, was one of the first romantic composers to recognize the genius of Franz Schubert. Apart from his numerous piano transcriptions of Schubert’s songs he arranged 34 waltzes, written by Schubert to entertain his audience, into a series of 9 “Soirées de Vienne”, elaborate compositions written in Liszt’s inimitable pianistic idiom, refined, perceptive and utterly charming.

Alberto Ferro (born 1996) is one of the most remarkable talents of today. He achieved his Master's degree under the guidance of Prof. Epifanio Comis, his lifetime mentor, at the "Vincenzo Bellini" Institute of Music in Catania (2018). He also attended several piano masterclasses held by very important pianists such as Michel Béroff, Dina Yoffe, Leslie Howard, Elisso Virsaladze, Joaquín Achúcarro, Richard Goode, Jörg Demus and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He won the 2017 Beethoven Competition in Bonn and took top prizes at the Busoni Competition as well as the Premio Venezia. His recent CD with the Etudes-Tableaux by Rachmaninoff received 5-star reviews in the international press.

Alberto Ferro, piano

Alberto Ferro
I started playing piano at the age of six, and since then my love and attraction for art and music has only grown. I studied Piano and Composition at Fondazione Scuole Civiche Milano, under the guide of M. Di Renzo and Verrando, and I graduated with Diploma in Piano at the Milan Conservatory in 2006 under the guide of M.o Fedrigotti: after being awarded with full scholarship and teaching assistantship at Washington State University, my formal studies culminated with Master Of Arts in Music granted by the Music School of WSU, U.S. In the years I had the invaluable opportunity to attend several Masterclasses by some International Composers and Concertists such as Aldo Ciccolini, Aquilles Delle Vigne, Robert MacDonald, Alessandro Solbiati, Dana Wilson. In 2005 I joined the New School University of New York Jazz Italian Workshop. Since I was a kid infact, besides classical music, I developed a pure interest for improvisation, jazz and contemporary music. The first result of my creative activity came in 2009, when my first CD of original Piano Music was produced, (“In Fondo Al Suono” – The Deep End Of Sound).

Since 2000 I performed in many concerts as Solo Piano, in Chamber Music Ensembles and in Jazz Bands, especially in Milan, Italy (New Orleans Creole Jazz Band, Prefisso 02 Big Band, Killer’s Diller Jazz Gang, Whitemaplesoup, the Chameleon Trio and The Jazz enClave Quintet, these last two born on my personal projects), U.S. (award winning WSUniversity Big Band I, Alberto Ferro Jazz Trio) and Australia. Pianist, Band Leader and Musical Director for the Top Luxury Cruise Companies P&O UK, Holland America, MSC and for various 5 stars Hotels and Casinos. Sensitive vocal coach and accompanist in both Classical and Jazz Music, with an extensive experience as rehearsal/choir pianist and jazz combo coach. I have been appointed Pianist (Instructor, Accompanist, Coach) for several Schools and Art Institutions, such as the “Academy of Drama Paolo Grassi”(2003-2005), and the ”Waldorf-Steiner Institute” (2005-2008) in Milan, “Washington State University School of Music”. Currently I teach piano at the “Windsor Music School” and “The Dan Tien School of Performative Arts”, I play contemporary dance music for Tory Trotter at Pineapple Center in Covent Garden, London, and classical ballet music for the “Arts Education Center” in Chiswick and LaSylvaine Ballet Company in Kensington, London. Active and pro-active teacher of around 25 happy piano students in the London area!

In particular my creative approach, grounded on the variety of music I play helps my students to find their own musical way. My Master’s Thesis deals largely with the role of creativity and Improvisation in music: my mission as a musician and teacher is to motivate and develop the student’s imagination and direct it towards an intelligible and conscious artistic expression.

Booklet for Liszt: Complete soirées de Vienne