Summary of Liszt's Don Juan
Franz Liszt’s Reminiscences of Don Juan was a great model
for the technique of not starting a operatic paraphrase from the
opera’s beginning of the story, but rather, in the denouement
My opinions of the Liszt’s Reminiscences of Don Juan
are as follows: Besides liking the relatively straight-forward
treatment of the theme from "Là ci darem," I also see the
Reminiscences of Don Juan as a postscript to the use of thematic
transformation (mentioned earlier in the study) found in
Schubert’s Wanderer-Fantasie. For instance, the running-scales
theme that was done more slowly at the start of the "Di rider
finirai" section at the beginning of the Reminiscences appears
in a much faster version in the variant ending of the champagne
aria. The shorter version of the transition to the champagne
aria is equally effective as the longer version of the
transition because it gives a much more
straightforward announcement of the famous baccanale ditty of
Act I in only 34 measures. The longer version of the transition
tends to lose excitement in its forward musical motion by
interspersing two reprises of the "Di rider finirai" occurring
two times as the first part of the "Finch’han dal vino" is
announced.
The ‘storm sequence’ effect after Variation 2 of the duet
is also exciting. Only for a while, Liszt changes to the
relative minor of A major--F sharp minor to create the
tempestuous confrontation of the "Andiam, la mio bene" melody
and the running scales in the opera’s overture. Finally, the
ending of the Reminiscences on a mediant (Bb major, from the earlier D minor)
is a typical Romantic third relation.
The “Theme and Variations” in Reminiscences of Don Juan(Liszt)
(From The Duet “La ci darem la mano”)
1. Theme (mm. 69-149)
--This is almost a word-by-word arrangement of this duet.
The call-and-response that portrays Zerlina and Don
Giovanni in the second statement of the theme (upon its
return)is done through Liszt by using different octaves.
On the “non son piu forte”, the ‘call-and-response’
conversation also appears in the dominant of the duet.
(E major), starting with Don Giovanni first, then
Zerlina.
--before the 6/8 section, there is a long cadenza on the
V6 chord.
3
--The coda of the 6/8 section is sicilliana-like and is
flourished by downward tirades and scalar runs.
--Liszt decides to end the variation in fortissimo, unlike
Mozart’s conclusion to the La ci in a docile matter.(mm. 148-
150)
2. First Variation (mm. 150-259)
--This might be described as an etude in sixteenth-note triplets
and sixteenth-note sextuplets.
--There are much more flourishes here and almost like a jazz-style
improvisation of the original theme.
--On Zerlina’s “non son piu forte”(Dover 29), Liszt gives the
pianist an exercises of playing 16th sextuplets over 4 regular
sixteenths.(mm. 198-203)
--On the IV-ii-V-iii-vi-IV progression, there is an etude-like
passage. It might be subtitled “Accuracy of Double Notes From
One End of the Keyboard To Another.”(mm. 204-206)
--On the V6 of A(mm. 207-209), definitely a mini-cadenza, with
both hands imitating something by Paganini.
--The cadenza itself (starting at m. 210) has an unusual harmonic
progression:
A: V6 - i - viio7 - V4 - I6 - viio7 - bii6 - viio7
ii 2 IV #iv
- #iv - #ivo7 - iio7 - V7
4
3
--Big chromatic-scale cadenza on the V7(m. 215). This ends with a
trill on the r.h. on F-E and F#-E, alternating, and finally
calming down, hovering on F#-E.
--On the “Andiam, andiam, mio bene”(Dover 33), the 6/8 rhythm is
like the theme, but in continous sixteenth notes in babbling-
brook style. Also, it has an inside-texture trill and an upper-
texture E pedal point.
--The coda of the 6/8 is like a roadblock for the pianist. It
asks the question, “Should I play that coda as it is in the
theme(the ossia section), or should the more difficult, quasi-
Paganini version. But the last 5 measures of the variation are
similar to the theme’s ending.
Variation 2 (mm. 260-353, Dover 35-41)
--In tempo giusto, it starts of as if it is a siciliana or a
waltz. Or it might be somewhat of a 6/8 march in 2, focusing
mainly on the 1st and 4th beats.
--The second part of the variation makes this variation a form
of a impromptu, for it introduces the theme of the Commendatore
--not the reprise in the beginning of the Reminiscenes, but
instead portraying the Don’s confrontation of the Commendatore
as the Commendatore beckons Don Giovanni to let him join in
Don’s supper.
This happens through this harmonic progression (mm. 319-327):
A: 1o7 - bv6 - biio7 - bii - bii6 - bii07 - iio7
4 4
bv6 - biiio7 - bIII - bv6 - biii07 - IIIo7 - bvii6 - bV7
4 4 4
vo7 - i6 - V - i6 - V - i6 - V - i6 - V
4 4 4 4
--------- -------- ------ - -------
bii iv vi vi
--The scalar runs in different directions in mm. 317-324, as well
as a more furious passage on mm. 325-332, depicts Don’s
decension to hell by the Commendatore’s dammnation of the Don.
--This is immediately followed by a false-octave passage, pro-
bably the greatest in the Liszt piano repertory, in mm. 333-338,
in the harmonic progression: f#: i6, #I6, N6, #IV6, iv6, viio7.
--mm.339-348--marks the end of the variation by even more scalar
runs and downward, rapid double minor-third scales. The subse-
quent measures mark the transition to the Champagne aria,
“Finc’han dal vino”, sung by the Don in the middle of the opera.
(The alternate version of the transition to the Champagne
aria is preceded by even more scalar runs depicting Don’s
hellish fate, followed by four notes, in the indication
Grave, which might be a serious version of the
Commendatore’s words that condemns Don to the wraths of Satan:
“Ah, tempo piu non v’e”(Da Ponte). But the “non v’e” is taken
No comments:
Post a Comment