Les Préludes is the third of Liszt’s thirteen symphonic poems and by far the most popular. Liszt was the originator of the ‘symphonic poem’, a one-movement orchestral work which bears a relationship to a literary work, a painting, an historical event or a legend. The genre was later adopted by many other composers.
Les Préludes opens with a slow introduction, which represents the principal theme, before exploding into a bold and vigorous version dominated by the trombones before giving way to a more lilting version in the horns. The music is developed with martial, romantic and pastoral adaptations before a brilliant coda gives the theme a grand, heroic transformation for a stirring end.
Item Code: TPBB-046
Duration: c.7'00"