Franz Liszt (1811-1886)Symphonische Dichtungen für grosses Orchester ... 'Les Préludes' , Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, [1856], inscribed and signed ('F. Liszt')Provenance : Heinrich Szadrowsky (1828-1878); Sotheby's, 27 November 1987, lot 295.First edition, inscribed on the occasion of a famous joint-concert with Wagner. Inscribed on title to H. Szadrowsky, Zurich, November 1856, and on facing page 'Fortsetzung folgt!', St Gall, 23 November 1856, annotations in red pencil, apparently by Liszt, inscribed on back fly-leaf in another hand 'Aufgeführt 23 Nov. 56 im 3ten Abonn. Konzerte St Gallen (unter Franz Liszt's Direction) da capo'.Les préludes is the third of Liszt's thirteen symphonic poems: it began as an overture to The Four Elements , before being revised as a concert overture. The first performance, conducted by the composer, was on 23 February 1854. Liszt's inscription at St Gall on 23 November 1856 is on the occasion of a concert at which the conductors were Liszt (conducting this work and Orpheus ), Szadrowsky and Wagner (Wagner's part being Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, which concluded the programme). In the following year, Szadrowsky referred to the annotations in his copy of the work in a footnote to an article in the Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik (vol. 46, 1857, p.96): 'I would like to take this opportunity to point out a very important mistake that has been left in the printing. The magnificent violin figure on pp.75-78 (bar 2) in the score must all be played fortissimo, instead of fp and p. In the score before me, Liszt marked a powerful ff (ein machtiges ff )' (translation). A repeated ff in this passage is indeed among the annotations in the present score.