Franz Liszt - Festmarsch zur Goethe-Jubiläumfeier S.115 (score video)

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Why is this piece so underrated and what is the story behind it

[@Kris9kris]

When Liszt moved to Weimar, it was in a cultural vacuum. All the great residents of the tiny royal city during the so-called "golden" age of Weimar had passed away with no one to fill the void - until Liszt moved there in the late 1840s and, with the help of the Grand Duke immediately sought to rejuvenate and establish Weimar as a leading cultural centre once again. One of the tasks the townsfolk of Weimar had ahead of them was acknowledging - in a decidedly rushed, Stakhanovite fashion - all its great residents in the form of anniversary-year commemorations and festivities. Liszt composed this piece (in its original version for piano) in 1849 for the 100th anniversary of Goethe's birthday. Still, by the time the town of Weimar caught up and unveiled the Goethe/Schiller memorial, eight years had passed, but they held the celebration anyway for the "108th anniversary". They were a little bit desperate lol. It's like when you forget to take your medicine for a few days, and you take multiple at once to see if it works "retroactively". That's why this orchestral version exists, it was likely played at the unveiling. You can read all about this in the Alan Walker book.

[@xxmeliozxx1160]

@@Kris9kris Thank you for your explanation