Some thoughts....

History has still not made up its mind about this man who lived from 1811 to 1886, the debate continues even today. There is no debate about his colossal celebrity status, however. He was one of the original “superstars” of the international musical world, and it is this celebrity status that either adds or detracts from our estimate of his achievements. It all comes as one package.

His life does not divide into three sections, but it was as if he simultaneously had three careers: [a] the virtuoso pianist, [b] the champion orchestra conductor, promoting “music of the future” teaching and writing, and [c] as a composer himself of piano music, symphonic music, Masses, psalms and Oratorios.

He used his enormous skills as a pianist to promote the work of Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and others. As an impresario director he mounted stage productions of Berlioz and Wagner operas, including several premieres. A generous man, much of the money he raised went to various charities – disaster relief, construction costs to finish Cologne Cathedral, a monument to Beethoven in Rome, and many other causes.

His travels took him from Russia to Spain, from England to Constantinople, if there were jet planes available he would have taken those, but he traveled widely on the 19 ^th century means available to him. During the last 25 years of his life [1861-1886] he lived in “retirement” dividing his time between Rome [Italy], Weimar [Germany], and Budapest [Hungary]. In 1865 he became a Third Order Franciscan and received ordination to minor orders [he was never a priest, but was known now as the “Abbé Liszt” and went about in a black cassock as a public ecclesiastic].

The “Via Crucis” which we are presenting Friday, 27 February, at 7 PM is one of Liszt’s late works. Most probably written as personal devotion, even private prayer. At the time of its composition it was not accepted for publication, so was only one more piece set aside, and left behind at his death. Only in the course of assembling a “complete” edition of Liszt’s works did this particular item find publication, and decades after Liszt’s death, its first performance.

The musical language is harmonically daring; Liszt pushes into some sort of “mystical” ambience, with stretched intervals, and trailing off into ambiguous endings. Simultaneously with this progressive side he reaches back to incorporate medieval chant, anchoring this music in century old melodies.

In presenting this music here at St Thomas More, I hope we can enter into this devotional world, not just as a “concert” experience, but as pilgrims with Liszt on a musical pilgrimage of the imagination. Not just remembering the events, but this time “feeling” the emotions as we pause for each Station on this journey. Because that is what music makes possible. Not a waste of time, but a “time out of time” – time to experience the humanity of Jesus, and our own humanity.
[R Petrich]