Liszt - Réminiscences de La juive, S409a (Wong)

First performed in 1835 and published the following year, Liszt's Réminiscences de La juive has long been considered problematic by critics, but although filled with his youthful virtuosic exuberance, it is a work of undeniable inventiveness: the shape of the opening Molto allegro feroce is entirely his (even if the thematic fragments are Halévy’s) and it is not until the recognizable martial chorus (3:20) that he uses a whole theme. The succeeding Boléro is only loosely based on Halévy, but is the theme for two delectable variations and the Finale begins as if it were a third variation before giving way to frenetically foreshortened recollections of the march and the introductory material. Interestingly, the ferocious opening foreshadows the 'infernal' music of Liszt's Weimar period, but also shows immediate kinship with the Valse infernale from Meyerbeer's Robert le diable, with which the La juive fantasy was reissued in 1842.
Opinions will vary on Wong's approach to Liszt’s published texts as the basis for further embellishment, elaboration and occasionally recomposition, but in my opinion his playing falters with the addition of such unnecessities as whilst some may find them refreshing, it really is the last thing a piece which has barely been recorded needs. Unfortunately, this was the only recording I could find which is available for use on KZbin.

[@FocusMrbjarke]

Wong is a pianist who actually knows how to add something extra to the score and make it better than it was before.

[@CarloGinex]

Katsaris is also good( beethoven's symphonies transcribed by liszt)

[@yulianshvets]

Oh my God, just listen to 6:07, it's perfect!

[@Zimu-GNFS]

And also deleting it😂

[@JamesBower-yj6ew]

The ending was inspired by Hough's

[@marcalexandrefontenay9801]

Réminiscence injustement oubliée si diverse si brillante et magnifiquement restituée par le virtuose Wang! Du grand Liszt du grand art au profit d’un compositeur délaissé Halevy!

[@НиканорМурусьив]

Феноменальное исполнение👏👏👏 Высший пилотаж, столько оттенков, штрихов, все так точно продумано и прочувствовано. Сам Ференц был бы в восторге от исполнения!

[@gergelykiss]

Hmmm... did Maestro Wong more or less skip 50 bars of music after 4:55 ? I wonder what could be the reason for that? Those bars almost perfectly correspond to two whole pages of music - the empty bar 202 is the last thing on page 87, and then he jumps to some semi-improvised transition into the music which begins the second staff of page 90... Maybe pages 88-89 were stuck together when he spilled some coffee on them...? :) On a more serious note: as it is stated in the text to the video, this piece was published twice in Liszt's lifetime - first in 1836 and then in 1842 - I looked through them and there isn't much difference between the two publications, however there are some. The most interesting for me is in bar377 - that absolutely magnificent chord Eb-D-Ab-G-Cb is even more magnificent in the 1842 score, since it has an extra F as well - this was probably deemed a mistake by the new Liszt Edition's editors, cause they retain the 1836 notes (changing the F to a doubling of the melodic G). I wonder what Liszt's actual intention was.

[@Felix_Li_En]

Finally ! A "real" interpretation on KZbin ! Thank you ! 😁

[@pianista-mediocre]

The Reminiscences are Liszt's true masterpieces

[@alkanliszt]

Bar 476: afaik, the first example in piano literature of interlocking chromatic octaves!

[@Felix_Li_En]

You are possibly right ! I can't give any example before 1835 at this moment ! 😆

[@SemiWagner]

Liszt has these kind of whole tone/chromatic octave scales in his piece mazeppa as well.

[@TheModicaLiszt]

Liszt’s first use of the whole-tone scale is part of a cadenza in Niobe!

[@VaggosWho]

0:35 The only part I can play 🤪

[@Cryseris]

0:35 epic editing

[@gergelykiss]

Wong's multiple diversions from the score are indeed surprising - I don't know whether there are different versions of this particular fantasy by Liszt, I did have a quick look through the catalogue of his works and there don't seem to be any early or intermediate or revised versions, just the one from 1835. Otherwise it is a very entertaining performance. There is another recording by Stephen Hough, made for Hyperion in 2012. I haven't had a chance to listen to it, yet, but I am certain it is wonderfully played, he is usually impeccable - it might be a bit on the wild side, as it is 2 minutes shorter than Wong's. :)

[@christophcloren4740]

A Fantasic pianist ! So beautiuful piano colours and delicat rhythm details in the bolero !

[@АлександрЯрков-ш2з]

Лист браво блестяще написано и сыграно грандиозно и виртуозно

[@mariana.makasjian]

wow such a beautiful piece

[@faust6241]

Liszt is the best

[@axelguibourg8993]

1:41 seems like the Etude number 12 Chasse Neige

[@yulianshvets]

Exactly, thought the same first time heared it

[@RicardoOliveiraRGB]

You wrote that "...has long been considered problematic by critics ". But why? What is the "problem" with this masterpiece?

[@Vexalord]

Did anyone realize the tempo Liszt is demanding for the Presto agitato assai section here 12:15?! this is so ridiculously impossible! lmfao It's like 1.5x faster xD

[@tchaffman]

You had me at 0:35!

[@tchaffman]

Snap, it got me again XD

[@lyrianmusic]

Editorial decisions aside, this is some really fine playing!

[@정-e7y]

🤩

[@lukasmiller486]

I’m at work now but I’ll listen to this tomorrow. Do you think you could upload a recording of the 1st version of Liszt’s Prelude and Fugue on BACH, S. 529/1 as well?

[@southwestpiano]

whoa, what's that at measure 172 (4:16)?

[@kuradipingviin]

9:16

[@axyspianostudio]

0:35 LMAO

[@JramLisztfan]

1:22, 14:56

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

4:48

[@williamsimpson4670]

Var 2 9:40

[@SpecialtyHorseTraining]

Missed my favorite part of the opera. "Rachel quand du seigneur."

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

If he took into account the favorite parts of everyone, the piece would be longer than the opera itself!

[@notnek202]

But that’s the most famous piece in the whole opera.

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

@Kenton202 So? It’s not required that he take into consideration the most famous segments, only his favorites. Otherwise, Casta Diva would be in his Norma Fantasy.

[@notnek202]

@@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven True

[@rahgeo3387]

12:16

[@liwei1658]

Bar 203-258 Skipped

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

Sadly, yes 😔

[@liwei1658]

Listen at 5:00

[@liwei1658]

A lot of missing parts are playable 🙁

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

@@liwei1658 Indeed. This performer has a tendency to "recompose" what he plays (especially in his Liszt album). Unfortunately, this was the only performance I could upload onto KZbin (Howard's and Hough's are both signed onto Hyperion which blocks any upload here).

[@evslol1153]

That sucks- but thanks for the work you do on youtube all the same!

[@ゆくちゃんLiszt]

9:42- 12:15 s701q

[@sharky_spike]

hrm....😂well the quality of playing wasnt bad.. but theres so many cuts & revisions from the original score its kinda depressing

[@mcbainst]

what the hell is Wong with this pianist?

[@TT-lh1ls]

〜

[@giorgossarigiannis7868]

Please, which Wong plays?

[@pianist_detentive]

Wait, why the ending is a bit different?

[@maksimryslyaev4794]

Да там не только концовка изменена...

[@leelemery5567]

Bar 526, that supposed to be a phrase??

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

I think it's just some accidental scribbling on the sheet which must have been copied when it was scanned.

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

What on earth was Wong thinking when he played the ending?

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

God knows.

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

@@AndreiAnghelLiszt You're back!

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

5:12