Glanes de Woronince
Glanes de Woronince (Gleanings from Woronińce, or Harvest at Woronińce), S. 249, is a suite of three piano pieces by Franz Liszt, written in 1847 at Voronivtsi, the Ukrainian estate of Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein in Ukrainian Podolia.[1]
Liszt had first met the Princess when he played in Kiev on 14 February of that year. She was recently separated from her husband, and she invited Liszt to spend some time on her estate in Podolia. He stayed for 10 days, then left for a concert tour, promising to return in the autumn. He came back around 18 September, and stayed till early January 1848.[2] It was during these three months that Liszt's and Sayn-Wittgenstein's relationship developed to the stage that she planned to petition the Tsar for divorce, and marry Liszt. During this time, Liszt also completed much of his Harmonies poétiques et religieuses.[2]
The three pieces of Glanes de Woronince are:
- Ballade d'Ukraine, a dumka
- Mélodies polonaises, two Polish folk songs, the second of which was previously used by Frédéric Chopin in his song The Maiden's Wish (Życzenie), Op. posth. 74/1, written in 1829[3]
- Complainte, another dumka.
They were dedicated to Princess Carolyne's daughter, Princess Marie von Sayn-Wittgenstein.
Liszt also wrote a transcription for piano solo of Chopin's The Maiden's Wish in his Six Chants polonais, S. 480, but in conception it is quite a different piece from its appearance in Glanes de Woronince.[4]
The suite has had few recordings. They include those by Robert Black, France Clidat and Leslie Howard. The middle number was recorded by Conrad Ansorge.
Sources
- Answers.com
- Alan Walker, Gabriele Erasmi, Liszt, Carolyne and the Vatican: The Story of a Thwarted Marriage
