Pianist Alexander Paley presents Liszt’s impressions from Europe

A sumptuous treat awaits music lovers on Saturday when pianist Alexander Paley performs an all-Liszt concert for the Washington Conservatory in recognition of the composer’s 200th birthday. The term “virtuoso” is standard in discussions of both artists, so it is not surprising that Paley has chosen a program of challenging and exhilarating works. Just as Paley leaves his homes in New York and Paris to travel and perform around the world, so did Liszt travel miles throughout Europe to play for adoring audiences and absorb images and impressions to later translate into music. In this recital, Paley will offer a superb collection of the composer’s musical visions.

“Venezia e Napoli” projects the flavor of those Italian cities, while the three “Sonetti del Petrarca” reflect upon the poet’s lyrical passages. Their serene beauty is in direct contrast to the gaiety of spirit and incredible dexterity required by a pianist executing “Grand galop chromatique.” The dizzying piece was influenced by the galop, a popular ballroom dance of the time that surely challenged people garbed in bulky 19th-century attire.

Liszt frequently wrote paraphrases of works by other composers. To one of his most famous, a paraphrase of Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Paley adds a twist.

“My biggest obsession in playing this work is to do my own version,” he said. “I add a lot and have tried it many places to great success. Liszt also liked to add his own personality to his music. He loved playing ‘Grand galop chromatique’ because it is so amusing. Some people attending his concerts were the kind of snobs who thought that you have to play only serious music, but he loved it so much that he often finished his concerts with this piece to make an impact.”

The recital would not be complete without the “Hungarian Rhapsodies” inspired by Liszt’s visits to Eastern Europe, where he absorbed the Gypsy music of Romania and incorporated it into some of his most beloved works. Having grown up in Moldova, Paley understands how that music affected Liszt.

“His music speaks to me because, like a lot of kids studying music there, I was required to learn all his pieces.” he said. “From them you discover his personality and aesthetics. His music is filled with the songs I heard on the street performed by the Gypsies and other East Europeans. They are in the great tradition of European culture and provide the link to theater and paintings.”

Since his 1991 debut with the National Symphony Orchestra, Paley has performed at Carnegie Hall and with most of the major American symphony orchestras as soloist and chamber musician, frequently returning to Washington for recitals at the Kennedy Center, the German Embassy, the Dumbarton Concerts and the Washington Conservatory, where this recital marks his ninth visit.