The three sets of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage take the listener on a journey not only through the geographical regions that inspired the composer, Switzerland and Italy, but on a voyage through his own personal development, becoming increasingly inward-looking and spiritual with each cycle. The first set, Suisse, already displays much of that psychological scope, with works of quintessential Romanticism: poetic, evocative and wide-ranging in their emotional landscape. The second set, Italie, is even more organic and compact in its conception, and in the final set we hear an older composer reflecting on life and death in music characterised by impressionistic colours and profound spiritual depth.
