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Années de pèlerinage (French for Years of Pilgrimage) (S.160, S.161, S.162, S.163) is a set of three suites for solo piano by Franz Liszt. Much of it derives from his earlier work, Album d'un voyageur, his first major published piano cycle, which was composed between 1835 and 1838 and published in 1842.^[1] Années de pèlerinage is widely considered as the masterwork and summation of Liszt's musical style. The third volume is notable as an example of his later style. Composed well after the first two volumes, it displays less virtuosity and more harmonic experimentation.

The title Années de pèlerinage refers to Goethe's famous novel of self-realization, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and especially its sequel Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years (whose original title Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre meant Years of Wandering or Years of Pilgrimage, the latter being used for its first French translation). Liszt clearly places these compositions in line with the Romantic literature of his time, prefacing most pieces with a literary passage from writers such as Schiller, Byron or Senancour, and, in an introduction to the entire work, writing:

Having recently travelled to many new countries, through different settings and places consecrated by history and poetry; having felt that the phenomena of nature and their attendant sights did not pass before my eyes as pointless images but stirred deep emotions in my soul, and that between us a vague but immediate relationship had established itself, an undefined but real rapport, an inexplicable but undeniable communication, I have tried to portray in music a few of my strongest sensations and most lively impressions.^[2]

The suites

Première année: Suisse

"Première année: Suisse" ("First Year: Switzerland"), S.160, was published in 1855. Composed between 1848 and 1854, most of the pieces (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9) are revisions of Album d'un voyageur: Part 1: Impressions et Poesies. "Au lac de Wallenstadt" (No. 2) and "Au bord d'une source" (No. 4) received only minor revisions, while "La Chapelle de Guillaume Tell" (No. 1), "Vallée d'Obermann" (No. 6), and especially "Les cloches de Genève" (No. 9) were more extensively rewritten.^[3] "Églogue" (No. 7) was published separately, and "Orage" (No. 5) was included as part of the definitive version of the cycle.^[2]

Chapelle de Guillaume Tell (William Tell's Chapel) in C major – For this depiction of the Swiss struggle for liberation Liszt chooses a motto from Schiller as caption, "All for one – one for all." A noble passage marked lento opens the piece, followed by the main melody of the freedom fighters. A horn call rouses the troops, echoes down the valleys, and mixes with the sound of the heroic struggle.^[4]
Au lac de Wallenstadt (At Lake Wallenstadt) in A♭ major – Liszt's caption is from Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Canto III, stanza 85): "Thy contrasted lake / With the wild world I dwell in is a thing / Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake / Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring." In her Mémoires, Liszt's mistress and traveling companion of the time, Marie d'Agoult, recalls their time by Lake Wallenstadt, writing, "Franz wrote for me there a melancholy harmony, imitative of the sigh of the waves and the cadence of oars, which I have never been able to hear without weeping."^[5]
Pastorale in E major –
Au bord d'une source (Beside a Spring) in A♭ major – Liszt's caption is from Schiller: “In the whispering coolness begins young nature's play.”
Orage (Storm) in C minor – Liszt's caption is again from Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Canto III, canto 96): "But where of ye, O tempests! is the goal? / Are ye like those within the human breast? / Or do ye find, at length, like eagles, some high nest?"
Vallée d'Obermann (Obermann's Valley) in E minor – Inspired by Étienne Pivert de Senancour's novel of the same title, set in Switzerland, with a hero overwhelmed and confused by nature, suffering from ennui and longing,^[6] finally concluding that only our feelings are true.^[5] The captions include one from Byron's succeeding canto 97, ("Could I embody and unbosom now / That which is most within me,--could I wreak / My thoughts upon expression, and thus throw / Soul--heart--mind--passions--feelings--strong or weak-- / All that I would have sought, and all I seek, / Bear, know, feel--and yet breathe--into one word, / And that one word were Lightning, I would speak; / But as it is, I live and die unheard, / With a most voiceless thought, sheathing it as a sword") and two from Senancour's Obermann, which include the crucial questions, “What do I want? Who am I? What do I ask of nature?"
Eglogue (Eclogue) in A♭ major – Liszt's caption is from the next canto of the Pilgrimage: "The morn is up again, the dewy morn, / With breath all incense, and with cheek all bloom, / Laughing the clouds away with playful scorn, / And living as if earth contained no tomb!"
Le mal du pays (Homesickness) in E minor –
Les cloches de Genève: Nocturne (The Bells of Geneva: Nocturne) in B major – Liszt's caption is from stanza 72, earlier in the Byron's Pilgrimage: “I live not in myself, but I become / Portion of that around me”.

Au bord d'une source (Beside a Spring)

Performed by Randolph Hokanson

Vallée d'Obermann (Obermann's Valley)

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Deuxième année: Italie

"Deuxième année: Italie" ("Second Year: Italy"), S.161, was composed between 1837 and 1849 and published in 1858 by Schott. Nos. 4 to 6 are revisions of Tre sonetti del Petrarca (Three sonnets of Petrarch), which was composed around 1839–1846 and published in 1846.

Sposalizio (Marriage of the Virgin, a painting by Raphael) in E major
Il penseroso (The Thinker, a statue by Michelangelo) in C♯ minor
Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa (Canzonetta of Salvator Rosa) in A major (Note: this song "Vado ben spesso cangiando loco" was in fact written by Giovanni Bononcini)^[7]
Sonetto 47 del Petrarca (Petrarch's Sonnet 47) in D♭ major
Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (Petrarch's Sonnet 104) in E major
Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Petrarch's Sonnet 123) in A♭ major
Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia Quasi Sonata (After Reading Dante: Fantasia Quasi Sonata) in D minor

Venezia e Napoli (Venice and Naples), S.162. Composed in 1859 as a partial revision of an earlier set with the same name composed around 1840. Published in 1861 as a supplement to the Second Year

Gondoliera (Gondolier's Song) in F♯ major – Based on the song "La biondina in gondoletta" by Giovanni Battista Peruchini.
Canzone (Canzone) in E♭ minor – Based on the gondolier's song "Nessun maggior dolore" from Rossini's Otello.
Tarantella (Tarantella) in G minor – Uses themes by Guillaume-Louis Cottrau, 1797–1847.

Troisième année

"Troisième année" ("Third Year"), S.163, was published 1883; Nos. 1–4 and 7 composed in 1877; No. 5, 1872; No. 6, 1867.

Angélus! Prière aux anges gardiens (Angelus! Prayer to the Guardian Angels) in E major – dedicated to Daniela von Bülow, Liszt's granddaughter, first daughter of Hans von Bülow and Cosima Liszt and wife of art historian Henry Thode. It was written for both melodeon, piano, or an instrument that combines both, for Liszt wrote "piano-melodium" on his manuscript^[8]
Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este I: Thrénodie (To the Cypresses of the Villa d'Este I: Threnody) in G minor
Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este II: Thrénodie (To the Cypresses of the Villa d'Este II: Threnody) in E minor – The Villa d'Este described in these two threnodies is in Tivoli, near Rome. It is famous for its beautiful cypresses and fountains
Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este (The Fountains of the Villa d'Este) in F♯ major – Over the music, Liszt placed the inscription, "Sed aqua quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam" ("But the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life," from the Gospel of John). This piece, with its advanced harmonies and shimmering textures, is in many ways a precursor of musical Impressionism
Sunt lacrymae rerum/En mode hongrois (There are Tears for Things/In Hungarian Style) in A minor – Dedicated to Hans von Bülow.
Marche funèbre, En mémoire de Maximilien I, Empereur du Mexique (Funeral March, In memory of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico) in F minor
Sursum corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) in E major

Recordings

There have been numerous recordings made of the suites, in both complete and incomplete form.

Year	Pianist	Section	Label and number
1928, 1937, 1928	Claudio Arrau	Incomplete
1936	Béla Bartók	Sursum Corda (3e année)	Patria MrE 63; later Pacific 6301, etc.
1947	Vladimir Horowitz	Au bord d'une source (1ere année)	RCA Victor Red Seal
1947	Dinu Lipatti	Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (2e année)	EMI CZS 767163 2
1950	Wilhelm Kempff	3 pieces from 1ere année, 5 pieces from 2e année, 1 piece from Supplement	Decca / London, once issued on Great Pianists of the 20th Century
1951	Vladimir Horowitz	Sonetto 104 del Petrarca (2e année)	RCA Victor Red Seal
1963	Sergio Fiorentino	1ere année: Suisse	Delta Record Co. Ltd. DEL 12032/SDEL 18032
1969	Claudio Arrau	Incomplete	Philips Classics
1973	Jerome Rose	Complete	Vox CD3X 3004
1974	Wilhelm Kempff	2e année: Italie (minus Dante Sonata) & Gondoliera from Supplement	Deutsche Grammophon
1975	Vladimir Horowitz	Au bord d'une source (1ere année)	RCA Victor Red Seal 82876 50754 2
1977	Lazar Berman	Complete	Deutsche Grammophon DGG 4372062
1977	György Cziffra	Complete	EMI Connoisseur Society CSQ 2141, 2142, 2143
1980	Alfred Brendel	3e année: Italie (3 pieces: No. 2, No. 4, No. 5)	Philips Classics 9500 775
1986	Zoltán Kocsis	3e année: Italie	Philips Classics 462312-2
1986	Alfred Brendel	1ere année: Suisse	Philips Classics 462312-2
1986	Alfred Brendel	2e année: Italie	Philips Classics 462312-2
1986^[9]	Tamás Vásáry	2e année: Italie	BBC music Magazine
1989, 1984, 1983	Claudio Arrau	Incomplete	Philips Classics
1989	Jeffrey Swann	Complete	Akademia Records
1989^[10]	Roberto Poli	2e année: Italie	OnClassical
1990	Jorge Bolet	2e année: Italie	Decca / London ASIN: B00000E2MO
1990	Jorge Bolet	1e année: Suisse	Decca / London ASIN: B00000E2MN
1990	Alan Marks	2e année: Italie	Nimbus Records
1991	Louis Lortie	2e année: Italie	Chandos Records
1991	Irène Polya	Incomplete	Hungaroton HCD 31517
1992	Jenő Jandó	1e année: Suisse	Naxos Records 8.550548
1992	Jenő Jandó	2e année: Italie	Naxos Records 8.550549
1992	Jenő Jandó	3e année	Naxos Records 8.550550
1996	Pierre Goy	1e année	Cantando
1995, 1996, 1990	Leslie Howard	Complete	Hyperion Records
2001	Carlo Maria Dominici	3e année	Fabula Classica
2001	Frederic Chiu	2e année: Italie, Supplement	Harmonia Mundi
2001, 2003, 2005	Ksenia Nosikova	Complete	Centaur Records
2000, 2002	Thomas Hitzlberger	2e année	Cybele
2003	Aldo Ciccolini	Complete	EMI Classics 5851772
2003	Yoram Ish-Hurwitz	2e année: Italie	Turtle Records
2004	Yoram Ish-Hurwitz	1ere année: Suisse	Turtle Records
2004	Yoram Ish-Hurwitz	3e année	Turtle Records
2004	Nicholas Angelich	Complete	MIRARE
2005	Stephen Hough	1ere année: Suisse	Hyperion Records
2008	Daniel Grimwood	Complete, without Supplement	sfz music SFZM0208
2010	Louis Lortie	Complete	Chandos Records CHAN10662(2)
2010	Mūza Rubackytė	Complete	Lyrinx Records LYR 2216
2010	Jerome Lowenthal	Complete	Bridge Records 9307A/C
2008, 2009, 2010	Michael Korstick	Complete	CPO 777 478-2
2010	Tomas Dratva	1ere année	Oehms Classics OC 786
2011	Julian Gorus	Complete	Hänssler Classic 98.627
2011	Alexander Krichel	2e année: Italie	Telos Music
2011	Bertrand Chamayou	Complete	Naive
2011	Seung-Yeun Huh	Complete, without Supplement	Ars Musici 232406
2011	Ragna Schirmer	Complete	Berlin Classics 0300121BC
2012	Sinae Lee	Complete	Nimbus Records N16202
2012	Costantino Catena	Supplement	Camerata Tokyo CMCD-15133-4
2012	Reiko Kuwahara	1ere année: Suisse	Denmoukeikaku/DPIC Entertainment
2013	Alexei Grynyuk	Sonetti del Petrarca (2e année)	Orchid Classics ORC100031
2013	Eisuke Nemoto	2e année: Italie, Supplement	Denmoukeikaku/DPIC Entertainment
2014	Simone Jennarelli	1e année: Suisse	[1]
2018	Sophia Agranovich	2e année: Italie S.161(3 Sonetti del Petrarca; Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata)	Centaur Records / Naxos, CRC 3601
2020	Suzana Bartal	Complete	Naïve Records ASIN: B084QHPLZD
2020	Yunchan Lim	2e année: Italie S.161	Young Musicians of Korea Vol.3, Korea Broadcasting System Media
2022	Francesco Libetta	Complete, on Piano Borgato GrandPrix 333	C&Co New Recording https://www.qobuz.com/dk-en/album/annees-de-pelerinage-francesco-libetta/ucxmlr1nuiyka

Video

Alfred Brendel (Deutsche Grammophon) DVD

Score

Edition Peters publishes the complete score, with the first volume of the trilogy "Suisse" published together with the "Trois Morceaux suisses" for the first time, in line with the composer's original intention to combine all his Swiss-inspired character pieces into a single volume. The musical journey is supported by the inclusion of historical illustrations of the scenes and landscapes that inspired the composer. Edited by world-renowned Liszt expert and concert pianist Leslie Howard, the edition also contains Liszt's original fingerings.

Dover Publications has issued a complete edition in one bound volume. Also included is an appendix of related works including Lyon (from the first book of Album d'un voyageur), Apparitions, Tre sonetti del Petrarca, and the original version of Venezia e Napoli.

In literature

Haruki Murakami's novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2013) centers on the movement "Le Mal du pays," and derives its title from the Années.^[11]^[12]

References

^ Hamilton, Kenneth, "Liszt's early and Weimar piano works," in The Cambridge Companion to Liszt, ed. Kenneth Hamiton, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005.
^ ^a ^b Lucie Renaud, Lucie, translated by Peter Christensen, Notes for the Analekta album Années de pèlerinage – Suisse (Years of Pilgrimage – Switzerland), André Laplante, "Analekta || Years of Pilgrimage, Switzerland, Classical music, André Laplante". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-04-16., accessed Sept. 8, 2010
^ Hamilton, pp. 66ff.
^ Watson, Derek, Liszt, The Master Musicians, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London, 1989, p. 244.
^ ^a ^b Watson, p. 244.
^ Hamilton, p. 68.
^ "Naxos Direct". Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.
^ "Années de pèlerinage" Ferenc Liszt, Edited by Imre Sulyok, Imre Mezo. (Shanghai Music Publishing House, 2007) ISBN 978-7-80751-029-1
^ published May 1997
^ published 2008
^ O'Hagan, Sean (28 July 2014). "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage review – Haruki Murakami's familiar tale of a man's odd past and his empty present". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ Arana, Marie (11 August 2014). "Review: 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,' by Haruki Murakami". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 June 2021.