Gergely Madaras & Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège

In this concert, the themes of death and passing are subtly woven into the music without the composers explicitly stating them. Each of the three pieces was composed during the final periods of their creators’ lives. Liszt’s composition is most closely associated with mourning, but the music of Elgar and Franck is equally melancholic and reflective. The origins of Ferenc Liszt’s works entitled La lugubre gondola, originally written for piano, remain somewhat mysterious. It is known that the first versions were created in 1882-83 in Venice, during Liszt’s visit to his old friend Wagner in the weeks leading up to Wagner’s death. Although Wagner criticized Liszt’s latest works during their meeting, Liszt continued to express his feelings through music. Edward Elgar’s cello concerto premiered in 1919, but its London debut was a failure due to insufficient rehearsal time, with critics noting that “never before had such a great orchestra performed so miserably.” Despite this rocky start, the concerto has become one of the most beloved pieces in the cello repertoire, thanks in part to Jacqueline du Pré’s iconic performances. César Franck’s only symphony opens with a motif that directly references Liszt’s Les Préludes and Beethoven’s final string quartet. Yet, the symphony carries such a unique message that it firmly established Franck as a major figure in French symphonic literature.