Liszt: The Pilgrimage Years

Although the title might lead one to believe that this documentary only covers the specific years in Franz Liszt's long life related to his composition of Les années de pèlerinage—specifically, the two-volume set of piano pieces published in 1852, more than three decades before his death—filmmaker Angelo Bozzolini's Liszt: The Pilgrimage Years is a full biography. Of course, Liszt's varied life and career—which included extensive tours and numerous, sometimes scandalous romances—could be seen as a long pilgrimage to his final position as a member of the Catholic clergy. Bozzolini does, however, highlight Liszt's relationship with Italy, subject of the second book of the Années. Overall, the documentary serves up an adequate but unexceptional account—combining mediocre re-creations featuring stiff actors, excerpts from interviews with musicians (including pianists Charles Rosen and Evgeny Kissin, and conductor Antonio Pappano) and scholars offering mostly trite observations, and montages of scenery and artwork—to cover Liszt's colorful career as a virtuoso and composer. Where the film is particularly effective is in showing Liszt's transformation of keyboard technique and in illustrating the innovative character of his compositions. But the best moments here are clips of pianists playing (and discussing) bits of Liszt's music—the sequences featuring Leslie Howard (who has recorded Liszt's complete piano works) and the black-and-white archival footage of the astonishing György Cziffra are especially noteworthy—although most are so brief that they barely register. A rather rudimentary overview of a complicated artist, this is an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)