Liszt: The Artist as Romantic Hero

Franz Liszt - his life and music epitomize the Romantic Era. A man of great contradictions. The greatest pianist of all time- who stopped concertizing in his thirties. Composer of over 1,500 piano pieces. Inspired by nature, art, literature, God, travel. Devoutly religious, yet famous for his many romantic liaisons. Inventor of impressionism, atonality, famed for pushing the boundaries of piano virtuosity and pianistic effects. Virtuoso, nationalist, writer, lifelong champion and transcriber of other composer's music. Let's take a look at this tremendously influential and charismatic figure, whose legacy is still felt by anyone who plays the piano. We will examine his famous Petrarch Sonnet No. 104, music of passion and poetry.