Liebestraum No. 3 in A-flat Major by F. Liszt
Eric K.
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Liebestra¨ume (German for "Dreams of Love") comprises a series of three piano works by Franz Liszt. These works were originally conceived as lieder (songs) based on three poems that described different types of love. Liebestra¨ume No. 3 in A-flat major, the third and most popular work, is the piece that I chose to perform. It is based on a poem about “unconditional mature love.”
The artistic process began even before I sat down at the piano. I was encouraged by my piano teacher, Heidi Hau, to start by singing the melody with my voice, while conducting with my hands. Then, since the melody weaves between the left hand and right hand continuously throughout the entire piece, I practiced the melody alone on the piano, to learn how to shape each phrase beautifully. When it came time to add the accompanying notes, I took great care to voice the melody thoughtfully and with lyricism, while making sure that the accompaniment provided the right balance of being supportive without distracting from or overpowering the melody. Finally, to help create the story that the composer intended to portray, and to provide my own interpretation of his work, I came up with the characters for each section of the piece, and through the use of various techniques, phrasing, dynamics, and the different types of piano pedals, I tried to evoke the feelings or emotions associated with those such characters.
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As a musician, going beyond the score and expressing my emotions thoughtfully and uniquely to create a meaningful performance is essential. Creativity is the collection of artistic choices that I make when thinking about the character, phrasing, and dynamics of a piece as I perform, to tell a story.
