from the Ultra-Romantic to the Avant Garde

 

Three Recital Series

 

A series of eight recitals in Seattle, that ran from April 2004 until March 2005, devoted to the works of this fascinating and misunderstood composer.

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Franz Liszt was one of the most remarkable personalities of the 19th century, at the forefront of nearly every major artistic and intellectual trend of the age. From the first flowering of the Romantic era in his works of the 1830's to the stark, modern, almost expressionistic emotional world of the works of his old age, he was the greatest musical innovator of his day.

 

Composers as diverse as Wagner, Ravel, Debussy, and Bartok acknowledged the tremendous debt they owed to Liszt's music. He was unique in his generosity toward other musicians: the most celebrated pianist of all time, he chose to use his fame and prestige to put on first performances of works by Schumann, Berlioz, Wagner and many others. Yet he was bitterly attacked by the musical establishment of his day for his radical musical ideas and for his support for the modern music of his time. Even today the tremendous scope of his musical accomplishments remains under–appreciated.

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Mark Salman’s introductory notes to the series

Flyer with programs for series

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