Within the realm of classical music, there are several names that are threatened with oblivion in these times of digital archives, short-lived artists and trends increasingly marked by immediacy that offers the easy, the popular. Although it is true that the classical universe has always been appreciated by a minority and elitist public (musicians, music lovers and interested critics are actually fewer and fewer), today it is practically impossible to talk about classical music with any member of the “ general public” without ending up devastated by the imminent lack of knowledge about the existence of great creators who, at the time, were fundamental in the development of musical art.
One of these artists is Franz Liszt (1811-1886), a Hungarian pianist and composer who, for many connoisseurs, was the first star of classical music properly speaking. It is true that in the 18th century, the Austrian genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) had unintentionally created the category of musical divo due to his extravagance and genius exposed with self-confidence before the circumspect public of that time, Liszt led another level the profile of the musical performer with his intense concert tours around Europe. In each country he visited, Franz Liszt made an average of four performances and unleashed hysteria among his female fans, in a phenomenon that became known as Lisztomania, which lasted three years (between 1841 and 1842).
His career was, unlike the mythical Amadeus, broad and diverse, going from child prodigy to the most admired virtuoso pianist of the time. At the same time, Liszt made a recognized career as a teacher and patron, promoting the careers and works of other musicians such as Nicolas Paganini, Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner, who also became his son-in-law in 1857 when he married Cosima, one of the daughters he had. with Countess Marie d'Agoult. According to various historians and biographers, his gestures and contortions on stage caused fainting and frantic reactions among the female audience, in a direct antecedent of what happened in 1964 with The Beatles on their first visit to the US
His musical legacy is also extensive. Although he is best known for his piano pieces -the one that has most withstood the passage of time and the disgraceful oblivion of mass culture is, without a doubt, his nocturne entitled Sueño de amor, which can even be heard as a ringtone on some cell phones- Franz Liszt contributed to the development of classical music in the 20th century with his variations, transcriptions, and fantasies, as well as the creation of the symphonic poem (a musical format that was widely used at the time). Among classically trained pianists, the work of Franz Liszt is as important as that of another European, the Polish Frederic Chopin, for its complexity, innovation, and sonorous beauty.
Franz Liszt's brilliant personality was brought to life by director Ken Russell in 1975 in his film Lisztomania, considered a cult today by fans of biographical films. The leading role was in charge of the vocalist of the British rock group The Who, Roger Daltrey and the soundtrack was composed by the keyboardist of Yes (another English rock group), Rick Wakeman, one of the most important piano virtuosos of the contemporary popular music.
Among the best-known classical pianists who have specialized in the Franz Liszt repertoire, we can mention Martha Argerich from Argentina, Claudio Arrau from Chile, Arthur Rubinstein from Poland, and others, without mentioning the Australian Leslie Howard, the only one who has recorded all of Liszt's works on record. In this 2016, which marks the 205th anniversary of his birth, we leave you with some pieces by the great Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.
Martha Argerich in 1966 performing the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6, composed between 1846 and 1853
Rubinstein, for many the most important pianist of the 20th century, performs La Campanella (1851), a well-known study for piano and violin
Lang Lang, the prestigious Chinese pianist who is today considered one of the greatest figures in classical music, performs the immortal Liebesträum No. 3 (Dream of Love No. 3) by Franz Liszt