| Here is the fourth of Liszt's Etudes d'Execution Transcendante entitled 'Mazeppa', and is a musical depiction of the unfortunate nobleman of the title strapped to a horse as it gallops its way through the Russian Steppes. Originally a poem by Byron from which Liszt derived inspiration, the appellation 'Trancendental study' refers to the technical challenge which needs to be surmounted by the pianist in order to achieve poetic realism, this can only be achieved by the most able pianists to say the least. Unfortunately there many recordings in which the horse does not briskly gallop along as can be heard here, but are instead positively elephantine. This roll was made by the young Wilhelm Backhaus, protege of D'Albert and the most phenomenal wunderkind of the 1900's. To judge by the number of piano roll recordings he made for Hupfeld during this period shows either that he had a huge repertoire or was a very good sight reader or possibly both. |
