LISZT F. - VALS MEFISTO URTEXT

When Liszt took over the direction of the Court Opera in Weimar, he spent a great deal of time exploring Goethe s works. He was particularly attracted to the subject-matter of Faust. He used Nikolaus Lenau s Faust , a comprehensive poem in 24 scenes, as the model for his orchestral work in two parts Episodes from Lenau s Faust . The second part, Dance in the Village Inn , was originally written for piano solo. He gave this wild piece which builds up to an almost delirious climax the title Mephisto Waltz . The piano composition soon spread around the world in its own right and even today is considered to be the quintessential bravura piece. For the first time, a version of the piece that was abridged and simplified by Liszt can be found in the appendix.
(PIANO SOLO)