Der Wanderer

Prominent in the German Romantic imagination, the figure of the wanderer was also taken up by Franz Schubert. He composed a lied of that name, the theme of which was later to be found in his virtuosic Fantasy in C major, later aptly dubbed the "Wanderer-Fantasie". A tireless wanderer himself, Franz Liszt transcribed Schubert's lied for piano and presented several versions of the Fantasy in C, including one for piano and orchestra and another for two pianos. Here Sylviane Deferne presents the rarest of Liszt's transcriptions of the "Wanderer-Fantasie", the one for solo piano, with the last movement completely rewritten by the composer. Two works by Schubert complete the program: the 4 Impromptus Op.142, written a year before his death, and a rarely recorded early work, the Variations on a theme by Anselm Hüttenbrenner.

The concept of “Der Wanderer” (the wanderer) had a lifelong fascination for Franz Schubert. The idea of an eternal journey towards happiness or a better life, albeit unattainable, was close to his romantic heart. The same may be said of Franz Liszt, who, mutatis mutandis, shared Schubert’s wanderings and quest for an ideal. No wonder that Liszt was one of the first to recognize Schubert’s genius, playing his works in his concerts and transcribing songs for piano solo.