Liszt: A Listener's Guide

by John Bell Young, Franz Liszt (Composer)

Overview

Composer, bon vivant, pianist, teacher, superstar showman, raconteur, writer, entrepreneur, ladies' man, philanthropist, and priest, Franz Liszt is widely viewed today not only as a great composer, but also as the greatest pianist of the 19th century. Yet his enormous body of piano music, by turns poetic, glittering, acrobatic, prophetic, profound, and haunting, failed to command the acclaim it deserved in his lifetime. In Liszt, John Bell Young takes a close look at this opulent music, illuminating its many facets and challenges from a pianist's engaged perspective.

HIGHLIGHT

• Never-before-released recordings of five extraordinary young pianists are included on an accompanying CD

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781574671704
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/01/2009
Series:	Unlocking the Masters , #18
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

John Bell Young's (Putney, VT) recordings have earned international critical acclaim. He has lectured at Brown University, the Juilliard School, and the Leningrad and Boston Conservatories. Broadcast appearances include NPR, WNYC, ABC-TV's 20/20, and David Dubal's nationally syndicated radio program, Reflections from the Keyboard. He has written for many major publications, including the St. Petersburg Times, Opera News, Music & Vision, Clavier, and the American Record Guide. www.johnbellyoung.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 Franz Liszt: An Overview 1

Chapter 2 The Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 15

Chapter 3 Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), S. 160, S. 161, S. 162, S. 163 27

Chapter 4 Liszt and the Music of Earth, Heaven, and Hell 85

Chapter 5 Operatic Paraphrases and Song Transcriptions 119

Chapter 6 12 Études d'exécution transcendante, S. 139 (The Transcendental Études) 127

Glossary 143

CD Track Listing 151