Liszt is known to have intricate works and according to Allan Kozinn, reviewing Leon Botstein’s Carnegie Hall program including Liszt’s “Faust” Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mr. Botstein delivered this challenging piece with clarity and success. Kozinn highlights the ability of the composer to tackle unusual works and points our how many fail to deliver a good performance without proper preparation. I almost thought he was setting the stage for what was to be an inadequate depiction of “Faust”. But 19 years of conducting the American Symphony Orchestra is something I believe gives him an upper hand to know what his musicians are capable of.

The symphony is divided into three main parts that are all centered on the three characters of the Faust legend, “Faust”, “Gretchen”, and “Mephistopheles”, this symphony was dedicated to Goethe who wrote the toned poems of Faust. The section I will focus on is “Faust”, which is the 1^st movement of the 70-minute piece.  This is not what I would consider strict sonata form but still has the main points of that structure. This section is important because Liszt introduces us to the themes that will continually appear throughout the rest of the symphony, and the idea of thematic transformation is something he was known for and mastered. The symphony is in C major but it was hard to identify because of added augmented fifths. The strings really create that sense of gloom that the character lives in because in the poems he is constantly on a quest for truths in life.  Then you hear the sound of an oboe leading to the introduction of the C minor scale, and then a clarinet, which really gives you a feeling of pain and sorrow that Faust is overcome with. There are moments of intense power statements in this 1^st movement, which really represent the depth of Liszt’s compositions.

I believe the most amazing parts of the performance are the way the sections of the orchestra take on the emotions of the character. The great use of contrasts with the strings as a solid presence but the wind section representing a low melancholy undertone create the mood that the character is experiencing. The violins seem to come in as a question with almost a resolution or answer with the sudden sound of calm.  The theme remains constant throughout and the repetition is what makes it a tone poem.

Kozinn recognized the strings and how they painted the emotions of the character as well as “brassy triumphant scoring”. The themes within the symphony were delivered well, and he recognized the intensity of this piece and the orchestra’s ability to play with emotion. Kozinn states in the title of this review that works such as this are rarely heard and take a great amount of mastering before they can be presented, and many fail, but I believe each theme and motive was delivered with continuity throughout the entire first section. The poems that Goethe wrote were truly brought to life with the American symphony Orchestra.