Franz Liszt e la sua musica nel cinema: bilancio e aggiornamento

This note is an appendix to Franz Liszt and his music in the cinema, a book published by LIM, Lucca in 2014. The book originally took into consideration approximately 300 films containing Liszt’s music. The “new” films with Liszt’s music which have been “discovered” in the two years after the publication require this supplement: many times Liszt’s music is not credited, therefore it is impossible to know whether the film contains it. If one watches – even absent-mindedly – a film, mostly dating back to the period 1930-1960, it may be possible to come across scenes containing a classical-music background, where some specific pieces are particularly recurring. If this music is not credited, only a direct viewing allows it to be recognized. In this way, music by classical composers is often “plundered”, its use is not documented and its discovery is casual. It is worthwhile pointing out that, especially in recent times, Liszt’s music has been used mainly to emphasize comic, slightly grotesque or uncommon aspects. Among the “new” films quoted in this supplement, about 90% show these features. The Hungarian Rhapsody n. 2 proves to be by far the most recurring, while the use of Love Dream n. 3 decreases and Les Préludes steadily ranks third. (verdi@iperbole.bologna.it)