Franz Liszt: A Faust Symphony & Mephisto Waltz No. 3 – Kirill Karabits

When Franz Liszt took over the court orchestra in Weimar in 1848, the memory of Goethe, who had previously directed the court theatre, was still venerated. Liszt was therefore Goethe’s direct heir at Weimar – albeit as a musician. With his Faust Symphony, which was premiered on the same day as the inauguration of the Goethe and Schiller monument in front of the theatre, psychology made its way into music; Liszt’s ambition was the “renewal of music through its more intimate connection with poetry”. His Faust Symphony demonstrates the power of sound, of tone painting, to evoke a fantastical, epic and psychological world.

Each movement corresponds to a character whose traits and psychology it depicts. This is programme music, but it does not tell a story and is certainly not descriptive music. Liszt characterised musically the profound nature of each character, offering a subtle and analytical interpretation of the story of Faust as told by Goethe. The three character pictures are psychological tableaux set to music. Liszt does not simply tell the story of the characters or describe their feelings: he evokes their psyches.

Kirill Karabits conducts the Staatskapelle Weimar in this repertoire which is especially close to the ensemble.

Reviews

Fanfare Jan/Feb 2024

“the Staatskapelle Weimar, plays with stunningly rounded beauty, recorded in flawless sound…I cannot recommend these performances too highly.

Gramophone Magazine October 2023

“It’s Bernstein’s vividly characterised and impassioned interpretation that I’m most reminded of when listening to this new recording.

Presto Music August 2023

“Liszt’s orchestral portraits of Faust, Marguerite and Mephistopheles positively leap off the page in this vital, richly characterised account of the Goethe-inspired symphony: the Weimar brass glow and growl in the opening movement depicting Faust’s torment, principal oboe and viola are on eloquent form when portraying Marguerite’s innocence, and the devilish scherzo is given with dazzling clarity – Katherine Cooper