A great champion of Franz Liszt and his works, the pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni wrote in 1916,“ ‘Les Jeux d’Eau à la Villa d’Este’ still remains the model for all musical fountains which have flowed ever since.”The influence of this work on the upcoming generation of french impressionist composers, most notably Debussy and Ravel, has been widely acknowledged. Liszt’s advanced innovated use of the keyboard and its resonance offers a sound imagery that was hitherto unknown.Through his friend cardinal Gustav Hohenlohe, Liszt had an open invitation to a suite at the magnificent Villa d’Este in Tivoli, just outside of Rome, where he spent most of his summers from 1867 to his death.The complex has an impressive garden and is world renown, to this day, for its spectacular fountains. Liszt chose the key of F sharp major, a ‘beatic’ key that he used to sanctify his works. ‘Jeux d’Eau à la Villa d’Este’ is more than the sum of its parts. By the end of his life, Liszt became a very religious man, going as far as taking on orders as a priest.The hand written inscription on the manuscript is telling: ‘Sed aqua quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam.’ (‘But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, but shall have everlasting life’). Composed in late 1848, Waldszenen opus 82 (Forest Scenes) is possibly the most significant piano solo work from Robert Schumann’s later life. As a cycle it is similar in overall construction to previous piano cycles. One of Schumann’s hallmarks is the combination of an outward simplicity with more shielded claims to greater complexity.The art world in 19th century Germany had two contrasting perspectives on the concept of forest. On one hand it was a rather bucolic place for drinking, hunting and bird songs, and on the other it represented a darker, more sinister world full of threatening and supernatural spirits. ‘Waldszenen’ is a masterpiece for its genius intertwinement of both worlds. The seemingly innocent ‘Eintritt’ offers little indication of the more dark aspects to come, but its sudden changes in dynamic levels and tone quality, as well as asymmetrical phrasing give it an unusual timbre.The more ominous atmosphere in ‘Verrufene Stelle’ on its turn, is both preceded and followed by the completely carefree mood of ‘Freundliche Landschaft’ and ‘Einsame Blumen’. With its wide melodic range, startling rhythmic patterns and long, irregular silences, ‘Vogel als Prophet’is the most vividly arresting. Yet while these elements create a sense of ominous mystery, the underlying harmony is very clear and formal. The ambiguous combination of a stable background with a rather wild and unpredictable foreground is perhaps the reason why this piece is commonly hailed as themasterpiece of the set. Franz Schubert spent most of the summer of 1819 in the Austrian countryside near Vienna, which he described as ‘unimaginably beautiful’. His sonata in A major D. 664 was composed in this environment, where 21- year old Schubert fell in love with the ‘very pretty’ Josephine von Koller, to whom the piece is dedicated. The sonata marks the development of Schubert’s own distinct musical language. Lacking the awkwardness common among piano sonatas that preceded it, the work exudes a contented, more carefree lyricism, revealing Schubert as a master of the sonata form. Though it does occasionally possess Schubert’s characteristic dark edge, the piece is exceptional in that it does not aspire to the grandeur and dramatic power present in his later sonatas. The ‘polonaise’ dance was well established in Poland long before Frédéric Chopin’s arrival on the scene. Since the Baroque era,many European courts had made use of it as a fashionable, ceremonial-style dance.With his Polonaises Opus 26, however, Chopin opened a new chapter in the history of the genre; henceforth, he would abandon those more conventional stylistic elements and move in the direction of the “epic-dramatic poem”. For Chopin, the polonaise was an enduring symbol of suppressed Poland; in his hands, it transformed into an affirmation of a stronger Polish national identity. Familiar rhythmic and melodic formulae instead became proud, powerful, and even aggressive evocations of Poland’s past glories. In this piece, Chopin’s rhetoric alternates between defiance and tenderness; in stark contrast to the more introverted lyrical afterthoughts surrounding them - the dramatic, violent double octaves heard throughout become the consistent, wistful cries of an exile for his homeland. French composer Claude Debussy wrote his two books of preludes toward the end of his life. Seeming to prefer that the performer and audience embark on the musical journey of these preludes without preconceived notions, he had their titles printed underneath the music, rather than before it. Knowing these titles, however, provides considerable insight into how Debussy himself perceived music. In ‘Brouillards’, we are thrown in tonal ambiguity, created by a polytonal field of white notes in the left hand, versus black notes in the right. The effect suggests the luminosity of evaporating mist, a background well suited to the eerie harp calls and unexpected apparitions that ensue. ‘Danseuses de Delphes’ - so named for the ancient Greek city of Delphi - evokes a dignified dance of both religious and layered significance. The work displays an odd juxtaposition of the apparently grave nature of the dance and the seemingly weightless movement of the dancers. It is as though they are clad in veils or enfolded by clouds of incense. ‘Bruyères’ exudes a folk-like pastoral charm, albeit with a touch of loneliness. Not to be outdone, however, ‘Feux d’Artifice’ is the clear, crowning jewel of the pianist’s virtuosity. In this dashingly brilliant depiction of fireworks on the evening of July 14th in early 20th century Paris, Debussy uses the full register of the piano to conjure an atmospheric fantasy. A subtle appearance of the ‘Marseillaise’ at closing bids these flashing pyrotechnics a nostalgic ‘au revoir’. Poems on which the Waldszenen were based: Eintritt: Wir geh’n auf tannumzduntem Pfad, Durch schlankes Gras, durch duft’ges Moos Dem grünen Dickicht in den Schoss. Jager auf der Lauer: Fruh steht der Jager auf Und beginnt den Tageslauf. Das erste Licht auf’s Buchsenkor Bringt mehr als ein ganzer Tagesborn. Dammerist Wildes Braut, Dammermacht Wild vertraut, Was man früh angeseh’n, Wird uns nicht entgeh’n. Verrufene Stelle: Die Blumen, so hoch sie wachsen, Sind blass hier, wie der Tod; Nur eine in der Mitte Steht da im dunkeln Rot. Die hat es nicht von der Sonne: Nie traf sie deren Glut; Sie hat es von der Erde, Und die trank Menschenblut. Jagdlied: Frisch auf zum fröhlichen Jagen, Ihr Jager auf zur Pirsch! Wir wollen den Hirsch erjagen, Den edlen rothenHirsch. Der Tag steht auf in Frische, Der Hirsch kehrt heim von Feld; Frisch auf denn in’s Gebüsche, Wo er den Wechsel halt: Vogel als Prophet: Hüte dich, sei wach und munter! Abschied: Leise dringt der Schatten weiter, Abendhauch schon weht durchs Tal, Feme Höhn nur grüssen heiter Noch den letzten Sonnenstrahl.