Transcendental Etude No. 5 in B flat (Liszt)

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Transcendental Etude No. 5 in B-flat "Feux Follets" (Will o' the Wisp) is the fifth etude of the set of twelve Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It employs many pianistic devices, rapid double-notes in the right hand foremost among them. Despite the mechanical difficulties of the work, its greatest challenge lies in doing justice to its whimsical and mysterious character. Pianissimo markings abound in the double note sections, countering the pianist's intuition (and desire) to play them loudly. Indeed, to the uniniated or musically illiterate, Feux Follets is not an impressive, boisterous work, and does not rouse the audience to a pitch of hysteria. For those who know, however, Feux Follets, is, like Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, one of the great achievements in the pianistic canon.

The etude's title comes from the French, and is alternately translated as "Flickering Lights". Regardless of the title, the ambitious pianist must tackle the piece with this image always in the mind. In Romantic period music, Liszt's especially, it is all too easy to play the notes, but fail to play the piece.

[edit] Difficulties

In the beginning of the etude, the performer is presented with a strange set of acute figures climbing high on the keyboard, accompanied by arpeggiated figures of the left hand, then climbing down. Then a rapidly descending set of double notes and cramped spacing begins, made difficult by the leggierzo and pp markings. The main theme is introduced and is offset by another set of rapidly descending set of doublenotes. The main theme is elaborated upon, and a repeating set of acute figures begins.

Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt v • d • e
No. 1 "Preludio" • No. 2 "Fusées" • No. 3 "Paysage" • No. 4 "Mazeppa" • No. 5 "Feux follets" • No. 6 "Vision" No. 7 "Eroica" • No. 8 "Wilde Jagd" • No. 9 "Ricordanza" • No. 10 "Appassionata" • No. 11 "Harmonies du soir" • No. 12 "Chasse-neige"