LISZT vs. LISZT ~ Volume ONE

Christopher Duigan of Music Revival is to present LISZT vs. LISZT ~ Volume ONE this evening and Sunday in Pietermaritzburg.

Following the Celebrating Chopin programmes, 2011 heralds a celebration of the music of Franz Liszt on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Probably the greatest piano virtuoso of all-time, Hungarian-born Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a pianist of extraordinary technical and musical virtuosity. His public display of pianistic wizardry astounded the world. As a serious musician, Liszt invented the piano ‘recital’, championed and performed publicly the music of other composers (something unheard of at that time), taught numerous students for free, and played thousand of concerts on tours from Lisbon to Edinburgh, from Istanbul to St Petersburg, before his retirement from the concert stage at age 35. He was followed by crowds of adoring fans, lived a free and adventurous life and in his later life took minor orders as a priest.

His compositions range of light-weight ‘pot-boilers’, fantasies on popular melodies of the day, fervent nationalistic outpourings to extraordinary complex, profound and ground-breaking compositions. In his later his compositions he anticipates certain stylistic aspects of 20th century music. The variety of compositions and the varied ‘integrity’ of his output, combined with the multiple and contrasted stages of his life inspire the title of these exploratory programmes - Liszt vs. Liszt. Championed by some, reviled by others, Liszt to this day has a uniquely mixed reception.Volume One includes popular compositions Liebstraume No 3, Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 and La Campanella along with other pieces that represent the varied styles of his composing and piano playing.

LISZT vs. LISZT ~ Volume ONE takes place on February 11 at 19h30 (R80 includes wine and coffee) and February 13 at 15h30 (R80 includes iced-tea and coffee). Both recitals take place at 35 Montgomery Drive, Pietermaritzburg which has secure parking. Booking is essential through email: booking@musicrevival.co.za (preferred) or 033 342 3051