Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année - Italie (S161) & Venezia e Napoli (S162): Piano (Solo)

Leslie Howard's urtext edition brings scholarly rigor and practical insight to one of piano literature's most ambitious cycles. The inclusion of Venezia e Napoli alongside the second volume creates a complete Italian journey, offering pianists the full scope of Liszt's Italian inspiration without hunting through scattered editions. The critical commentary and historical reproductions ground the music in its creative moment.

Lush, imaginative, and architecturally ambitious. Liszt paints landscapes and evokes emotions through rich harmonic colors and sweeping pianistic gestures. The music shifts between moments of intimate lyricism and explosive virtuosity, always maintaining a sense of romantic yearning and poetic depth.

Advanced pianists ready to engage with nineteenth-century harmonies and virtuosic figuration will find essential repertoire here. This edition serves students and professionals seeking authoritative texts of Liszt's major works with scholarly apparatus that deepens understanding of his compositional choices.

• Approach the harmonic language with clarity: these pieces often pivot on unexpected chords and modulations that reward precise voicing and sustain control through the pedal.
• Study the Italian literary and artistic references in the introductory notes; understanding what moved Liszt toward each piece shapes your interpretive choices.
• Treat the technical passages as musical statements, not obstacles. Liszt's virtuosity always serves expressive purpose; let the runs and cadenzas breathe as part of the narrative.
• Balance the rich textures across both hands by listening carefully to which line carries the primary voice; clarity prevents these pieces from becoming muddied.

These cycles work powerfully as recital centerpieces for advanced students, either performed complete or selected movements paired with other Romantic repertoire. They suit graduate recitals or university piano series seeking substantial, substantive works that showcase both technical command and interpretive maturity.

• Navigating rapid harmonic shifts and unexpected tonal centers
• Executing extended pianistic figurations with clarity and control
• Pedal management across dense, layered textures
• Bringing narrative coherence to multi-movement compositional cycles
• Responding musically to programmatic inspiration and literary context