Chapter 11 - The Fallow Years, 1911-1944

Summary

SYNOPSIS

During the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s Liszt's popularity in England waned. A few compositions received repeated performances but a great many works were neglected.

Eleven performances of Liszt's Dante and Faust symphonies were heard in England before 1912. During this period more than fifteen complete or partial productions of his oratorio St. Elisabeth were given, as were seven of his Psalm 13, twenty-one of his symphonic poem Tasso, and twenty of Mazeppa. Scores and scores of performances of his tone poem Les Préludes, plus fifteen of his symphonic poem Orpheus, were also heard in concert halls throughout England at this time. All welcome news for Wilhelm Ganz, who observed that by the close of the Edwardian era Liszt's symphonies and symphonic poems were in the programs of the orchestral concerts in London and the English provinces.

Then Liszt's popularity began to wane in England. A single performance of Liszt's Dante symphony, conducted by Dan Godfrey, was given in Bournemouth in 1914, another in Bath directed by Frank Tapp in 1917. Four performances of Liszt's symphonic poem Orpheus were conducted by Sir Henry Wood at the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts between 1913 and 1921. Two performances of Psalm 13 took place: one directed by Sir Alexander Mackenzie at a Royal Academy of Music in 1912, the other conducted in Manchester by Thomas Beecham three years later, together with a performance of Liszt's Psalm 137 by Charles Kennedy Scott and the Oriana singers in 1915. By 1925, however, resident conductors in England rarely rose to the challenge of directing the music of Liszt. This failure to give due recognition to the Hungarian composer and his works prompted the following letter from Charles Ovenden of St. Edward School, Oxford, to appear in the May issue of the Musical Times:

Neglect of Liszt's Music

Will you allow me to express my gratitude to Mr. [Michel-Dimitri] Calvocoressi for his admirable articles on Liszt. The lamentable ignorance of Liszt's works in this country is, of course, due to the fact that we never have any opportunities to hear them.