Franz Liszt - La Campanella - Sylvain Blassel, harp

Liszt’s “Grand Paganini Etudes“ written in 1851 are a revised version of the “Transcendal Etudes after Paganini“ (1838). In both versions, the third one, La Campanella is a summary of the “Great Fantasia di Bravura on Paganini’s Campanella“ (1834). A real feat of virtuosity , La campanella ( “The Little Bell“) is the only etude that isn’t a transcription of a Paganini Caprice for Violin, but a suite of variations on the rondo’s theme from Paganini’s second violon concerto. Sylvain Blassel’s performance on the harp is a world premiere and in no way is a simplification of the original piece for piano. Based on the first edition (Breitkopf, 1851), this transcription is faithful to the didactic spirit of the Etude in order to work on flexibility, dexterity and agility. Only a few sections functionally impossible to perform on the harp have been replaced, by sections that are equally as difficult, but possible. As Liszt did, the music has be