As many listeners already know, Liszt was constantly reworking older pieces into newer versions, usually improving on the original. In some cases, the reworked effort was an adaptation from a smaller venue to a larger one, such as from voice and piano to voice and orchestra. In the case of Die Lorelei, Liszt made numerous versions of the music, more than the four in the headnote listing. Lorelei originally dates to 1841, when it was scored for voice and piano. Liszt fashioned an arrangement of it for solo piano, probably in 1843. He made a second version of the song around 1856, which also yielded a new piano arrangement. He produced yet a third version around three years later, then arranged it for voice and orchestra. This larger rendition led to the fourth version of the piece, a reduction of its scoring for piano solo. But the various renditions of the song do not end here, for Liszt made a version in French, probably in the 1880s, of the second Lorelei. If this all sounds confusing, it is; with the result that the notes to many if not most recordings either avoid identifying the version being issued or misidentify it altogether. The song itself, whatever version used, is a lovely creation of a setting of text by Heinrich Heine. The piano accompaniment, more caloric in the first version, is deftly fashioned by Liszt and the vocal line, full of tension in the opening, soars to utter beauty in the lovely main theme. Anxiety later grips the song when the text tells of the demise of the enchanting Lorelei. The reprise of the main theme leads to a melancholy, quiet close. Most versions of this work have a duration of six or seven minutes.

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