Arthur Friedheim (1859-1932): Liszt - Etude: "Feux Follets"

[s1earle]

The beautiful accentuated parts are indeed a different set to the usual stereotyped performances of today: Perhaps the bastardary of today could learn something from this performance - The playing is actual and seems direct-to-disk as well.

[salviati]

One of Friedheim's pupils was Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn, the mother of Van Cliburn.

[paulostroff99]

awesome! TY

[marcxopoco]

Gollerich has more notes on what Liszt said about Feux follets than what paulprocopolis is aware of. There are other notes on Liszt's directions regarding this piece by other Liszt students, including Rosenthal and Lachmund.

[aardvaark069]

Young pianists always mention the sloppy techniques of the pre WW2 pianists. It is obvious that they have not bothered to listen to many of these old recordings.

[marcxopoco]

Best recording of a Liszt piece by a Liszt student. Remarkable evenness. Notice his bringing out of the tenor voice and sometimes bass line in the accompaniment to the main theme, obviously straight from Liszt.  Because of the time limit then, I think he plays the page near the end (a piacere) faster than he would have otherwise. Friedheim's best recording, and interestingly in the most difficult piece he recorded. Thankfully we have this one example of Freidheim at his best.

[ihrtmusic12334]

This is just and assumption, but considering he was the last link to Liszt himself, I'm sure that this recording is as close to how the composer meant it to be as we are going to get.

[Pischnaholic]

This is very very good. So was Ferrucio Busoni, but Claire Huangsci, Greg Lugansky, Ingolf Wunder, Evgeny Kissin and Sviatoslav Richter have played it even better, and THEY are all on a par with one another.

Did anyone ever hear Jeanne Marie Darré perfrom Feux Follets? I did many years ago at Carnegie Hall, and thought it so wonderful I bought her recording. SHE, however, played it about two-thirds to three-quarters as fast as those listed above. It still worked, believe me.

[marcxopoco]

Kissin is a cxhild compared to this.

[djvbb12]

NO WAYYYYY! Claire's was much better than Kissin and Friedheim's is better than both of them. Of the three what most makes you thinks of swamp fires? FRIEDHEIM!

[demosj]

I don't think so. I agree with your praise of Kissin, but Claire Huangsci's performance is noticeably lower in technique. It's a little lacking in the objective quality to say it's on par with Kissin. Richter's hit a few technical problems at that tempo too.

[Pischnaholic]

Interesting that you could respond to my comment after it's been wiped out by the many spiteful partisans who come here unable to stand anyone who registers an honest opinion. So many heckling, badgering, empty-headed remarks filled with four-letter words remain, yet a reasoned informed critique is "voted out" by intolerant people who can only FEEL but cannot THINK.

Friedheim was long past his prime when this was made. That's obvious to a discerning ear. It's still a valuable document.

[marcxopoco]

@Pischnaholic posts the most clueless posts I have seen on youtube.

[Pischnaholic]

BTW, have you hear Claire Huangsci's Prokofieff Toccata?

It's SO great it leaves me gasping for breath. She actually plays it as a piece of MUSIC. The difficulties are child's play to her.

I don't particularly LIKE Feux Follets, but I know stunning piano playing when I hear it. Claire is a World-Class virtuoso. One of the best. Won the Chopin Competition at SIXTEEN.

It doesn't GET any better than that in today's world.

[Arush09]

There is no real "way it's supposed to be" when a composition is played at this level of transcendency. All the Masters changed the way theirs or others' compositions were played according to their own tastes. If anything, there is a way "it's NOT supposed to be played"

[gtimny]

Those wishing to gripe about Richter's performance of this piece, should listen to the live 1958 recording taken from his recital in Sofia, Bulgaria. For some reason it was not included on the LP when it was issued, but it IS on the CD version and it is really superhuman.

[marcxopoco]

That playing of Feux follets by Richter is much too heavy. And he muffs the last difficult left hand run badly with not a note sounding for the last 16 notes.

[djvbb12]

MUCH better than Cziffra or Claire Huangci. I had always thought theirs was great but this...this shows SOOO much feeling. It sends chills down my spine.

[CD122344]

Yes as has been indicated - Friedheim was a pupil of Rubenstein. When 17 year old Friedheim first played for Liszt, Liszt found his playing "chaotic."Friedheim said that after 4 years with Rubenstein, his playing was "chaotic." It was Liszt who straightened out Friedheim's playing as acknowledged by him.

[CD122344]

Let's not forget that Friedheim lived with his teacher - Liszt - for quite some time - served as Liszt's secretary and heard Liszt play this etude. He was Liszt's favorite pupil. Friedheim also wrote a book on Liszt. His along with Siloti's account are contained in a book "Remembering Franz Liszt. - ISBN 0-87910-058-3 Get a copy and begin to understand what Liszt playing is all about. Also I believe that Friedheim had to rush some of the recording because of the time limit on the 78 rpm disc

[CD122344]

Going to eat some words here. Just heard IIya Petrov's recording - it's wonderful. For the first time I've heard a young pianist who was just about on the money. Would have preferred more melody and less "wisp" in the very beginning - that's minor - treat yourself to a great performance. Hopefully he has played them all and recorded them. I take them one at a time. Sometimes they play a few beautifully and screw up the rest - a la Cziffra and I love Cziffra's Liszt playing for the most part!

[CD122344]

Just took out the score. What makes this recording so remarkable is that Friedheim - true to the score - uses NO pedal in the opening 8 measures - ped. in 9, none in 10&11, 12-17ped. none where left hand melody starts in 18-25 as is written, and none in 30 - 37 where the bottom bass notes are the melody again. Who can do this today? - no one! Listen to all the blurry messes posted - Kissin and Richter to name a few. Very few, if any today can make musical sense out of this piece.

[RabidCh]

Actually Richter's late late live recording (1988) nails the opening ascending passage albeit with pedal for the left hand, but I think it's a stunning effect.

By then he was old and worn and his technique had already passed him, so the rest of the performance is a struggle to play the notes.

[CD122344]

The left hand in this piece is the melody and is supposed to be heard over the top. Too many pianists who couldn't lace Friedheim's shoes don't have the technique nor the musicianship to negotiate the difficulties in this piece - plus the fact that he lived with Liszt for ten years if I remember correctly. The Busoni piano roll CD lacks the clarity of the LP recording - too much pedal compared to the LP. I don't think they had the piano set up correctly. One of these days I'll post it.

[SIlentPianist47]

@CD122344 yes I agree much, bass melody has to be considered in this piece, and so is most pieces

[paulprocopolis]

This is certainly incredibly fluent playing, but the left-hand part seems rather overpowering in places, almost drowning out the upper notes - perhaps this is due to the pre-electric shellac recording process?

[djvbb12]

that's actually the way it's supposed to be.

[paulprocopolis]

It's one way of doing it. Whether it's "the way it's supposed to be" is impossible to determine since Liszt is no longer around to ask and I'm not sure who else could act as final arbiter!

[djvbb12]

Um perhaps his favorite pupil who performed infront of Liszt? Namely the man recorded here.

[paulprocopolis]

There were also others who performed FF in front of Liszt (including Lamond and several young ladies, some named in Gollerich's diaries, some not). Liszt's only recorded comment is that he "wished the tempo to be very comfortable" - so I don't think we're any the wiser. I believe that great music can take as many different interpreatations as there are great interpreters, and i cannot subscribe to the view that there is one right way!

[d60944]

How bizarre to rely on Gollerich's written notes about what Liszt said, but not on Friedheim's practical realisation of what Liszt said. We live in such an age.

[aardvaark069]

Love the last page especially. intensly focused

[sistaspooky1013]

very beautiful!

[horatiodreamt]

Wonderful performance by Friedheim! What an interesting musical heritage that leads from Van Cliburn studying with his mother who studied with Friedheim who studied with Liszt!

[gerardbedecarter]

I have put on CD the piano roll of Busoni playing Feux Follets: also the piano rolls of Busoni playing Gnoemenreigen, Adelaide (after Beethoven) and Waltz Caprice (from Lucia di Lammermoor). Timing of Busoni's Feux Follets is 4:39.

[gerardbedecarter]

I have also put on CD the piano roll recordings by TIMANOFF of "Variations on an Original Theme" by Ignacy Paderewski and "Tarantella" by Anton Rubinstein.

[gerardbedecarter]

In answer to the question about recordings by VERA TIMANOFF(Timanova: I have put on CD a recording by Timanoff of the LISZT HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY NO. 1, Welte piano roll no. 1386 recorded on 3 July 1907, played back on a 1922Steinway-Welte upright piano. Timanoff made a number of piano rolls but only one of Liszt's works (this one). She made no discs. This roll is extremely rare. Timanoff lived from 1855 to 1942 and died in St Petersburg during the siege of that city.

[gerardbedecarter]

So far as the Friedheim Triphonola Liszt Sonata roll is concerned, one possibility is that it was never in fact issued. It has been suggested, I think by Professor Larry Sitsky in his book on rolls, that it perhaps did happen, on occasion, that a particular roll was never in fact issued.  Roll catalogues were basically sales promotion material. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!­?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[gerardbedecarter]

I have produced a book and 3CD set which contains a transfer of roll (not a disc) of Friedheim playing Feux Follets.

PS: I don't have the Friedheim Triphonola roll of the Liszt Sonata but would like to hear from anyone who has. I have access to a piano to play back Triphonola rolls.

[Anders039]

A really great pianist. Period.

[Noshirm]

This is the first time I have ever heard Friedheim on disc! What a genius! He was a pupil of Anton Rubinstein AND Liszt! I wish he had made more recordings and given more concerts. Thanks for this posting. Do you have any recordings of the pianist Vera Timanoff? She was born 4 years before Friedheim and studied with Rubinstein, Tausig, and Liszt.

[AlexPxr8]

Phenomenal playing of this insanely difficult etude - said to be the most challenging of the transcendentals!

You really are doing an incredible service to pianism by posting these recordings! Thank you! :)

[WolfgangEllenberger]

thank you for this EXTRAordinary document!

I have sent my modest interpretation of the Liszt Polonaise as video response as 4th students generation after Liszt - but I give my enthusiastic reference to Friedheims play. There is another document similarly close to Liszt by Busoni with the Chaconne......

[khbomberg]

thank you for this EXTRAordinary document!

[chad410]

wow. well the action was lighter.lol.....