Benediction of God in Solitude |
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| Name of Work | Benediction of God in Solitude | ||||
| Production Date | 1847 | ||||
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UA Woronince |
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| General Notes | In spite of the religious element within the title, and the fact that the piece was apparently inspired by a religious poem by Alphonse de Lamartine, music cannot convey something like a concrete religious idea, any more than it can a concrete of anything else. But it can convey spirituality, whether one is religious or devoid of any religious conviction. | ||||
Description
The third work in a large set: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Poetic and Religious Harmonies)
In three parts, with a concluding return. Moderato. Andante. Più sostenuto, quasi Preludio. Andante
Here are three performances, beginning with my favorite.
Claudio Arrau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_corqaqgY&list=RDjN_corqaqgY&start_radio=1
Stephen Hough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Y9guXPapk&list=RDe6Y9guXPapk&start_radio=1&t=1102s
Alfred Brendel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxdShCqcnd8&list=RDFxdShCqcnd8&start_radio=1
In a discussion of this piece, the pianist Hough uses language that just about all commentators use to describe the work: “rich and ecstatic language,” “depict[s] a state of spiritual bliss,” “ecstasy,” “rapture,” “hymn-like,” “consummation,” “seraphic sublimation.” Unlike the vast majority of serious classical music which treats of a serious theme, this piece is virtually devoid of anything tragic. That is an enormously difficult thing to pull off, because a serious theme usually incorporates a clash of values somewhere along the line. But Liszt manages to have development, movement, suspense, and resolution without anything dark.
Theme
Emotional Sum or Sense-of-life
There is no conflict in the world, only sublime movement toward achievement of supreme values. The conclusion says, “You never had to worry: it was all there for you."
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