Franz Liszt Danse macabre – Poème symphonique de Camille Saint-Saëns, S.555

The unaltered Liszt transcription (composed c. 1876) of this famous orchestral masterwork is played (and recorded) far less often than the celebrated 1942 Vladimir Horowitz reworking of it. Liszt expanded the Saint-Saëns tone-poem considerably, adding in transitions between sections and writing an extended coda. Those interested in the art of piano transcription can learn a great deal by examining this masterpiece.

This scherzo, composed in around 1831, features an ABA form. The A section is dramatic and blazing, while the mellow B section quotes a Polish Christmas carol. The work, written during the 1831 uprising against the Russian empire, was dedicated to Thomas Albrecht, who convinced Chopin to stay in Vienna.

This remarkable work, composed c. 1885 and published only by 1956, does not have an identifiable diatonic “key”, hence the title. However, there work is centered around the B-F tritone which is fleshed out into the diminished seventh chord: B-D-F-G#. Liszt’s use of the octatonic scale and unusual chord in versions predates many of the harmonic developments more closely associated with early 20th century music.

The 6th Sonata, Op. 62, composed in 1911, is Scriabin’s first sonata featuring a new principle of tonal organization, one which completely avoids the use of diatonic scales and “traditional” bass motion by fourths and fifths. My published articles (click here to read) may provide some theoretical background necessary to delve into Scriabin's late-period works (starting from Op. 59).