Liszt / Chopin: Six Polish Songs (Tozer)

Liszt's transcriptions of six of Chopin's Polish songs (also called Six Chants Polonais) are reasonably faithful to their source, and are beautifully adapted for piano. The resulting pieces are not too well known, which is a great pity, as they combine Chopin's melodic gifts with Liszt's pianism at its most elegant and restrained. Occasionally No.1 (Życzenie, or A Maiden's Wish), No.2 (Wiosna, or Spring), and No.5 (Moja pieszczotka, or My Joys) are played as encores, but the rest of the group is rarely heard.
In any case, these are performed with impeccable delicacy and freedom by Geoffrey Tozer, who always seems to be able to summon a lithe and surprisingly warm sound.
No.1: 00:00
No.2: 03:42
No.3: 06:34
No.4: 09:12
No.5: 10:51
No.6: 14:54

[@liszt7franz7]

Wait, is this a crossover episode?

[@antonygonzalez9506]

It’s a Lisztisode.

[@pian1sticpeng_in]

HOW IS THIS SET SO UNKNOWN? Beautiful Transcription by Liszt

[@kelvinluk27]

This set was Haydn!

[@plentyofmagoes1143]

I think it's because its source material (op. 74) is also somewhat obscure. Chopin was never known as a composer of lieder throughout his life and so people are often unaware that the songs in which this piece (Liszt)was based upon exist. Chopin's 17 Polish songs (op.74) were collected from compositions he wrote when he was 19 to around the time he was about to die and yet they were all published within the same opus posthumously.

[@declancairo6446]

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[@jaysonlee4091]

@Declan Cairo Instablaster ;)

[@declancairo6446]

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[@Kalen1457]

No 5. nearly brings me to tears! Chopin+Liszt, two of my favorite composers, truly the best of both worlds. I had only heard Leslie Howard's take on these pieces, hearing another artist offers a different dimension.

[@justelynnnjoelle]

I can't believe this set of Liszt of transcriptions has been Haydn from me this whole time.

[@treesny]

We might also note that Liszt joins together two separate songs (Nos. 3 & 4) with impeccable musical logic - he also did this occasionally in his transcriptions of Schubert songs - and that he typically creates a satisfying mini-cycle out of six entirely independent songs taken from the collection of Chopin's songs published posthumously. Thanks for posting this wonderful performance!

[@tomekkobialka]

"Moja pieszczotka" (No.5) is absolutely lovely. I am going to have to learn it!

[@Kalen1457]

Same here. I think I'll take a stab at it as well. Though that ossia looks like a technical nightmare...

[@pianoforks8607]

I like it how Liszt let go his virtuosity and wrote this like Chopin himself 💜💜💜

[@cereal2373]

There is still a great deal of virtuosity present in these arrangements, lol. He did not let go of them.

[@pianoforks8607]

@@cereal2373 🤣 true fam , I can't deny it fully 🤣

[@SCRIABINIST]

@@pianoforks8607 Based pfp

[@Seleuce]

Erm... Sounds as though as Chopin's compositions are free of pianistic virtuosity. But he wrote some of the hardest pieces to play for pianists, and even his easiest pieces are not for beginners. Frederic just had a completely different focus as a musician and composer than Franz, and never wrote music wilfully unplayable for 99% of pianists just for the sake of it.

[@JramLisztfan]

⁠@@SeleuceLiszt did not write “willfully unplayable music just for the sake of it”

[@Forgetit2697]

No. 2 My god, so this is what is formed when the master of melody and the master of pianism come together? They form Schubert..

[@Assassunn]

The variation from Liszt with 3 voices is sumptuous 5:12

[@음-o9m]

3:42

[@antonygonzalez1672]

Lol

[@Jimbarleyy]

The beginning totally grasped me

[@guii8993]

but both masters of pianism and lyricism are Liszt at the same time, i didn't get your comment :)

[@fayepianist]

Liszt Piano master Chopin Piano poet - Chopin Liszt this combination is a marvel to work on

[@pianobanana3863]

15:01 to 15:06 reminds me a bit of the revolutionary etude.

[@HelenJoannides]

I LOVE THAT!!! this songs are amazing, very few singers sing them and the transkriptions of Liszt present them so beautifully. THANKS!!!!

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

The first 10 bars of the first song/piece is pure magic!

[@anaghshetty]

The trills add to the folk-like charm imo, and Liszt's arrangement makes it seem like the piano is singing

[@GICM]

sounds like a long lost chopin mazurka

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

I think it's the little filigree passaged 'cadenzetta' that adds to the charm.

[@GICM]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji reminds me a bit of medtner

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@GICM true

[@none5020]

Awesome that there's a video of Cziffra playing this at one of his recitals/concerts.

[@fumikotsukumi017]

I was so mesmerized by the music, I didn’t realize that it was structured in Theme & Variations.

[@stephenvalentinemusi]

I love Chopin, but I have a voice student singing A Maiden's Wish in her voice lessons, and this song sounds so much better as a transcription.

[@tsuukkii]

Neptunium poor student.

[@tteerabeats9116]

@@tsuukkii 😂😂

[@vorufusan5787]

The student rn: 👁💧👄💧👁

[@treesny]

By their nature, Chopin's songs are relatively modest in scope (though often beautiful); Liszt was free in his transcriptions to explore the wider expressive possibilities of the originals, without worrying about overwhelming the voice with pianistic invention. He often takes the material into a new dimension while respecting and honoring the underlying nature of the music.

[@damienheemskerk]

It is easily underestimated just how well Tozer plays these

[@PieInTheSky9]

Remarkably elegant and quite lovely. I've only ever heard Geoffrey Tozer's Medtner recordings, I really like his interpretation of these!

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

Echoherb I might put up some of his Medtner if I have the time. It's *very* good.

[@Medtnaculuss]

+Ashish Xiangyi Kumar Indeed, he is brilliant. :D

[@thenotsogoodpianist4706]

liszt was just being playfull in the 4th one ,, beautiful theme nd those crisp glissandos

[@charliebarker7727]

I think my favourite variation is the first one, but thats probably cos I like chopin more

[@IvyTeaRN]

Certain melodic parts of the 5th definitely bear a resemblance with nocturne op 15 no 2

[@WeAreMagikarp]

The motif at 12:01 - 12:04 reminds me of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody 2 and Brahms's Hungarian Dance 4 a little

[@angelob.1089]

We Are Magikarp! Yes.... I heard it too :D

[@Jimbarleyy]

And czardas

[@danielharrington4342]

Absolutely lovely

[@АннаМень-б2и]

Я хочу их все играть!! Они очень мелодичные!! Это обработка песен Шопена!! Здорово!! молодец лист и исполнитель. кто играет!!

[@estephanieaguto9593]

Анна Мень huh

[@angelachen-channel]

Liszt and Chopin duet! 🤩🤩🤩

[@marcosPRATA918]

Liszt soube explorar os ritmos e harmonias no íntimo de uma peça.

[@classicalmusiclover4029]

No.3 definetly my favourite.

[@ruchirrawat8804]

Thanks Liszt!

[@EmdrGreg]

I play no. 5 and I really enjoy it. What's more true is that I'm in the state of constantly learning it. The set is really wonderful. Tozer's playing is superb.

[@garniak]

14:54 Bridegroom ala Revolutionary Etude

[@tziranpianist1641]

garniak also etude op 25 no 10

[@ruchirrawat8804]

even liszt respected "andantino wiosna" by not adding much to it

[@giacocarrera]

Most beautiful!

[@lingromanzecool]

I haven't played this series of pieces... what an enchanting melody 🎶 gosh I think I should have to gotta know the background of the pieces written... thanks for sharing

[@Schubertd960]

Chopin himself wrote a short piano transcription of Wiosna which closely resembles the beginning of Liszt's...

[@shimsham9113]

Wow the two best in the game really collabed to drop this banger mix

[@Eqnzo]

godowsky and mereaux and ravel far exceed them

[@shimsham9113]

@@Eqnzo That is an opinion. Even if it is like saying Hummel is better than Beethoven, and that Telemann is better than Bach.

[@Eqnzo]

@@shimsham9113 beethovens style is my favorite not my favorite composer but his style is dark and timid i love beethoven and its a fact theyre better than liszt

[@shimsham9113]

@@Eqnzo There is a reason why Liszt is known as the greatest pianist ever.

[@Eqnzo]

@@shimsham9113 look up a hectic day by mere aux or listen to my composition

[@felixliwei]

No.3 6:35

[@tziranpianist1641]

13:26 - 13:35 reminds me Liszt's petrarch sonnet 104.

[@antonygonzalez9506]

I hear what you mean

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

True

[@VaggosWho]

No2 reminds me Grieg's piano concerto....

[@ethansaltmere]

Amazing!

[@anthonyc6017]

I cant stop listening to the first one

[@goldhillroad1483]

I'm really confused. Are these pieces that Chopin and Liszt worked on together or what? Someone please answer.

[@ziegunerweiser]

Songs written for singing by Chopin later transcribed for solo piano by Liszt

[@ziegunerweiser]

Liszt transcribed songs by others most notably Erlkonig by Schubert. The term lied or leider is more commonly used for song. As you can hear the transcriptions include embellishments and in some cases variations in an attempt to make the music more virtuosic or interesting, this was a popular thing to do at the time for example Thalberg's paraphrases or fantacies on popular operas, if you know anything about Paganini he wrote variations on melodies contained in operas. Rossini Bellini Donizetti and Verdi were popular

[@ziegunerweiser]

Most people know Liszt transcribed all kinds of music for piano including cantatas and works for organ by Bach and symphones by Beethoven

[@ziegunerweiser]

Hexameron is another example of variations on a song

[@ziegunerweiser]

The Liszt paraphrase on Mozart's Don Giovanni is probably his most commonly played example

[@febrian.9476]

i remember found a Liszt piece with the same theme as the no. 1, but kind of forgotten it. Can anyone tell me the name of the piece, perhaps?

[@mrskippyyy9579]

Mélodies polonaises from Glanes de Woronince

[@febrian.9476]

@@mrskippyyy9579 ah yes, i remember now

[@mrskippyyy9579]

@@febrian.9476 Oh good, glad I could help!

[@chrispilcher4238]

Is it my imagination but the base in these recordings is not being "pickedup" .

[@pianist6031]

3:31 this part reminds me of ending from Chopin's Prelude in E-flat major

[@davidrds]

No.6 reminds me a bit of Alkan.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

'Comme la tempête' that's the name of the composition Jk

[@Elopierek]

Polak Węgier dwa bratanki :)

[@StephanePiano]

Beautiful

[@angelob.1089]

No. 3 is so damn gorgeous.

[@tsurcurlyhair]

The voice is Chopin's voice, but the hands are the hands of Liszt.

[@ruramikael]

Not so faithful to their source, but improved!

[@sebastientraglia1351]

+ruramikael That's Liszt's way to transcribe! :D -

[@treesny]

To be fair, Chopin probably wrote fairly simple piano accompaniments for the original songs deliberately; once these moved from songs that were within the grasp of amateurs to concert pieces for piano solo, Liszt could explore and expand upon the possibilities of the originals. He did exactly the same with the rather plain piano parts of Donizetti's songs when he transcribed them for his lovely Summer Nights in Posillipo (check out Costantino Catena's lovely performance of the Donizetti/Liszt elsewhere on KZbin).

[@anthonyc6017]

What piece is 5 based off of?

[@smikkelbeer6352]

Moja pieszczotka, which is No. 12 from the 17 songs by Chopin

[@monition5655]

Wow didn’t know that these existed

[@felixliwei]

No.2 3:44

[@felixliwei]

No.1 0:00

[@marioh.2282]

bravissimo!

[@thomas-fv4wq]

Much Wow

[@marioblancodiaz2250]

5:52 The final variation on 2nd somehow reminds me of Rachmaninoff

[@ritaalbertini8458]

" SE PER MIRACOLO ....." CANTATA DAL PICCOLO CORO DELL' ANTONIANO." MARIELE VENTRE " DIRETTO DA SABRINA SIMONI 💝🎼🎹🎵🎶🎼🎼🎹🎵🎵🎶🎅🎄🎄🎵🎶🎶🎄🎄🙏🙏

[@mantictac]

No. 6 is completely unidentifiable.

[@treesny]

Yes. And yet, Liszt captures brilliantly the Gothic horror of the bridegroom spurring his horse on, only to find that his bride-to-be has expired and been laid to rest. A case of throwing out the literal text and recreating it by other means.

[@barcarolleenjoyer]

I swear op 74 no 4 sounds like one of the Chopin mazurkas.

[@ritaalbertini8458]

SE PER MIRACOLO IO FOSTI IL.SOLE ......... ...........NON PIANGERESTI PIU' .........chopin op 74 " SE PER MIRACOLO" RITA ALBERTINI 💝💝☀☀☀☀🎵🎶🎶🎹🎹🎹🎶🎵☀🙏

[@ubermench3000]

I remember reading that Chopin actually did not Liszt's transcriptions of his music.

[@ziegunerweiser]

Did not dislike?

[@Scherzokinn]

I'm pretty sure these transcriptions were made after Chopin died...

[@gergelykiss]

These songs are the only Chopin works that Liszt have ever transcribed for piano solo (since Chopin's output is probably 95% piano solo it is not surprising) - I believe he has also made organ transcriptions of the e minor Prelude and the funeral march from the b-flat minor sonata. But all of the above was done after Chopin's death. What you remember reading might actually be the anecdote of Chopin being upset by Liszt playing a nocturne of his with alterations (I think he is said to have said something like "either play it as it's written or don't play it at all!" - not sure how authentic this story is. Chopin did write in a letter about how much he was in awe of Liszt playing his (Chopin's) etudes, though.)

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Liszt was a rather unique arranger of the lied, he adds his own elements and cadenzas as opposed to the other transcribers. But there's nothing wrong doing the latter as well, maybe they thought they have to stick to the composer's intentions.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

And Tausig followed Liszt's practice as well, clearly as he was Liszt's pupil and was definitely influenced by him (he was also Liszt's favourite pupil), see what I mean, by listening to his transcription of Schumann's Der Kontrabandiste from the Spanish songs.

[@JoyAndWhimsy17]

Wait, are the original lyrics in German?

[@treesny]

No, they're in Polish, but I imagine Liszt wasn't fluent in that language, so he followed the sense of the German singing translations. Although most recordings of the original songs use the Polish texts, there has been at least one (by baritone Konrad Jarnot) in German.

[@JoyAndWhimsy17]

@@treesny Oh, thank you.

[@MiguelAngel-lm3ed]

Sounds like if Chopin wrote these pieces for piano...

[@ritaalbertini8458]

CHOPIN OP. 74

[@georgeschalhoub7950]

So chopinesque

[@juicedelemon]

I wonder what does polish people say about this?

[@lavendelblue4368]

They are ok with that, though is has nothing in common with original songs.

[@ziegunerweiser]

lithe

[@my-self2278]

The Original Is 17 Polish songs op. 74 By Chopin

[@liszt7franz7]

Lol

[@classicalmusic5646]

(Cough) Fake Franz! (Cough)

[@liszt7franz7]

Franz Liszt Oh shut up you impostor!

[@classicalmusic5646]

You're the fake. I'm right because I'm the real Franz Liszt, and Franz Liszt is always right. You're wrong, because you're fake.

[@sttthr]

The real one was called Ferenc Liszt.

[@liszt7franz7]

Tadeusz Kantor Franz Liszt is the French name of Ferenc

[@viren4053]

Liszt and Chopin made this together?

[@anthonyc6017]

No I think listzt took a chopin melody or song and composed “ variations” on it

[@darkhafgor]

No it's a transcription of Chopins Chant Polonais

[@mikey-cy5qn]

sorry if I'm misunderstanding smth but if liszt the one who wrote it then why is chopin's name in it?

[@lavendelblue4368]

Chopin wrote it, Liszt made his interpretation, based on Chopin. Just check 17 polish songs by Chopin.

[@treesny]

Chopin wrote the original songs for voice and piano. Liszt made these transcriptions/elaborations for piano only. Think of them as the equivalent of a great jazz pianist's riffs on popular songs of the day. Thank you.

[@tarikeld11]

Polish songs with German language 🤔

[@Fildoggy]

Six Polish songs why are the lyrics in GERMAN!!!!!

[@treesny]

Well, it's probably from an edition of the music intended for a wider European audience. It's quite possible that Liszt worked from a German-language edition. I don't know the publication history, but I believe almost all of Chopin's songs were published posthumously, and the German versions would surely have been created pretty quickly. There is at least one recording of the original songs in German: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anLKqZd-f7Omqbc