He goes down in history as a great musical pathfinder. The Hungarian virtuoso wasn’t just one of the greatest pianists who ever lived. Critics have often described Hungarian composer Franz Liszts (181186) music as showy and bombastic, but in this book the British concert pianist Roberts seeks. But he changed the world of concert performance forever. Recitals today are nothing like the scenes elicited by Liszt. It was a phenomenon the great German poet Heinrich Heine dubbed “Lisztomania.” Recitals were scenes of rock star hysteria, with fans ripping at his clothes and hair, grabbing for spent cigar butts or broken piano strings. Liszt went so far as to say he didn’t just play the music. No pianist had played to such massive crowds.Īnd a Liszt performance? They were shows, not just concerts. For example, more than 3,000 people packed halls in Milan and St Petersburg. He performed his own music and was also the first to play the entire keyboard repertory as it existed up to then (Bach to Chopin). He was also the first to enter from the wings onto the stage.Īfter doing so, Liszt would perform from memory. The open lid projected the sound better into the hall and allowed audiences to see him in profile. He was the first to place it at a right angle to the stage. Liszt set a precedent by situating the piano differently. saying cavalierly to the public ‘Le concert c’est moi.’ The concert is me.” Imagine that, I have ventured to give a series of concerts all by myself, affecting the Louis XIV style and. Liszt told a friend, “I don’t know what other name to give these inventions of mine. He even came up with a new name for these solo performances - soliloquies. Little Franz took after him almost immediately, listening attentively to his father playing the piano when he was just six, and starting to compose music at age eight. Born in 1811 in the Austrian empire, Liszt’s father was an accomplished musician who worked for a Hungarian prince. Until he came along, musicians were all expected to share concerts with other performers. Franz Liszt may have been destined for greatness from the start. Virtuosity aside, Liszt astonished audiences by appearing alone on the stage. ![]() Musicologist Robert Greenberg says it best: “Franz Liszt was the template, the model for every performing concert pianist since the 1840s.” In doing so, Liszt revolutionized the face of public performance. He concertized in his own way, breaking the rules or making up new ones. He hit audiences across Europe and Asia minor like a ferocious Colorado hailstorm. ![]() Then he set off to conquer the concert stage. Liszt, who had worked as a touring concert pianist since age 12, refashioned himself with intensified and longer hours of practice and emerged in rare fighting form, a Colossus of the keyboard. (Photo: Public domain/Illustration: CPR/Brad Turner) Pianist and composer Franz Liszt
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