This course offers a biographical and musical study of Franz Liszt (1811-1886), one of the most written about and least understood 19th-century composers.
More than anyone before him, Liszt created one of the most enduring archetypes of the Romantic era—that of the artist "who walks with God and brings down fire from heaven in order to kindle the hearts of humankind."
He was without a doubt the greatest pianist of his time and perhaps the greatest of all time. His piano music helped to define the capabilities of the new, modern piano; his orchestral music pushed the expressive bounds of Romanticism.
These lectures include excerpts from more than a dozen of Liszt’s works.