Franz Liszt

Featuring

Khatia Buniatishvili
Franz Liszt

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Composer Biography

Liszt retired from his restless virtuoso life in 1848, settling in Weimar, a town associated with Goethe, where he became 'Kapellmeister-in-Extraordinary'.

Composer Biography

In his later years, Liszt became more radical as a composer, moving closer to the Roman Catholic Church and developing an austere style that explored the dissolution of tonality.

Recording & Production

This album was co-produced with BBC Radio 3, and Khatia Buniatishvili is a member of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme.

Composer Biography

Franz Liszt's life is described as a "classical tragedy" in five acts, encompassing roles such as a child prodigy, pop star, virtuoso, and a God-fearing abbé.

Compositional Technique

The First Mephisto Waltz by Liszt is based on a poem by Nikolaus Lenau, not Goethe's Faust, and features sharp staccato chords, scales, and sudden harmonic shifts to depict a devilish dance.

Composition History

During his time in Weimar, Liszt turned the town into a leading musical center, conducting premieres of Wagner's operas and works by Berlioz and Donizetti.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Liszt's B minor Sonata, written in 1852-53, is a single-movement work that integrates five different themes with kaleidoscopic brilliance, challenging later composers like Arnold Schoenberg.