Liszt: Schubert - The Trout D 550, 1844 and 1846 Versions

As an avowed Schubert fan, Franz Liszt also liked to play transcriptions of Schubert’s songs in his piano recitals. He initially had an arrangement of the “Trout” by Stephen Heller in his repertoire, but in the summer of 1844, he took the opportunity to make his own arrangement. It also appeared in print shortly afterwards as one of “6 Mélodies célèbres”. But in the best tradition of Schubert, who left behind several versions of his “Trout”, Liszt also later created yet another arrangement. Thus, today we know two versions: the first from 1844, which is peppered with breakneck passages, and a second, likewise highly virtuoso but somewhat (!) easier to perform, that was published in Vienna and Paris in 1846.
For the Henle Urtext edition with fingerings by Evgeny Kissin, it was possible to consult, among others, a personal copy with annotations by Liszt. The edition offers both versions – and thus leaves you spoiled for choice!