Vittorio Bresciani pianist - viaggio in Italia

The idea of the project is to show the relationship between the piano music Franz Liszt composed during his first visit to Italy (1837/39) and the literary and artistic experiences which inspired him.

The pieces concerned are presented here with the title Viaggio in Italia, (Liszt in Italy) and comprise the first volume of the Années de pèlerinage Italie together with its appendix, Venezia e Napoli • and the unique transcription for piano solo of the Totentanz, the paraphrase on the theme of the Dies Irae better known in its celebrated arrangement for piano and orchestra.

The works of art to which Liszt’s music refers are: The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary by Raphael, in the Brera Gallery, Milan; Michelangelo’s statue of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, in the Church of San Lorenzo, Florence; the frescos of The Last Judgement and The Triumph of Death in the Camposanto of Pisa, a work traditionally attributed to Orcagna, but more recently considered to be by Buffalmacco; the literary works which inspired Liszt are the Inferno from Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Sonnets 47, 104 and 123 by Petrarch.

The project consists of a regular piano recital and an introductory lecture, which may be held either in the morning, or in the afternoon preceding the concert. The lecture will describe the itinerary of Liszt’s romantic travels with his companion, Marie d’Agoult. Various examples of the works of art, which fired the imagination of the young composer, will be shown on slides and accompanied by brief critical comments. Finally, the relationship between the sources of inspiration and their musical results will be elucidated by formal analysis and illustrations at the piano.

The programme can also be condensed into a single event with a piano recital and brief introductory commentaries (with or without slides) and possibly a shorter selection of pieces.