MEGAN FOSTER (Soprano) ; ERIC MARSHALL
(Baritone)
THE WIRELESS ORCHESTRA
Conducted by JOHN ANSELL
THE idea behind Les Preludes, the third of Liszt's series of symphonic poems, is taken from a work by Lamartine, the rrencn poet and statesman, whose gentle muse is something akin to that of Wordsworth.
Lamartine, in this extract, asks if Life is anything else than * a series of Preludes to that unknown song of which Death sounds the first and solemn note.' Hepictures love as ' the enchanted dawn of all life,' and speaks of the tempests that shatter love's bliss and dispel its illusions. Then the wounded soul seeks refugo in a pastoral life, but when the trumpet calls him to arms, ho seeks the post of danger, to find in battle full consciousness of himself and his powers.
Liszt follows his ' programme ' clearly enough; keeping to the main lines of 'Sonata' form. He makes one movement only of the work, using the two main themes that we are accustomed to meet- in a symphonic movement, but when he has exposed and developed:them, he brings in an Episode—a slow section—and then, when the delayed recapitulation of the original material comes, its themes are still further developed.