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Franz liszt famous works8/6/2023 An encounter with composer Richard Wagner turned into a close friendship which ended after his daughter Cosima had a relationship with Wagner. Liszt accepted a post as Kapellmeister and court music director in Weimar. At 36, Liszt grew tired and exhausted by fame and endless travels. Lisztomania ended in 1848, after nine years of restless back to back concert tours. Of course, all this was fodder for contemporary caricaturists: the colored drawings are valuable works of art and bear witness to this intense period of his life. His legacy to the music world was this new interpretation of piano play and the way he brought the keys alive on a concert piano. Liszt was a passionate showman at the piano. Carl Czerny, one of his earliest piano tutors took note of this “new and lively” way of using the instrument. Liszt seems to have developed a particular way of playing the piano, even as a child. What was it, then, that was so fascinating about his almost “diabolical” performance? The word perfectly captured the phenomenon of hysteria surrounding Liszt’s stage appearances. None other than Heinrich Heine, who in 1840 wrote for the Allgemeine Zeitung as Paris correspondent, coined the term „Lisztomanie,“ or Lisztomania. At an advanced age, he received his ordination, but continued to be a patron of the music world, gave lessons and fulfilled his function as president of the Royal Academy of Music in Hungary. As a person of faith, he found a measure of peace in the Christian religion, which had already influenced his childhood in Raiding. Liszt also went through periods of struggle and depression. Only a veto from the Vatikan prevented the marriage between the world-renowned musician and the Duchess. Duchess Caroline Sayn-Wittgenstein even planned to leave her husband – an influential duke – and marry Liszt instead. His daughter with countess Marie d’Agoult married composer Richard Wagner, whom Liszt supported generously as the father-in-law. Liszt had several passionate affairs with educated, bright women among the European aristocracy. It is hardly surprising that the virtuoso had a reputation as a womanizer. The „ Hexenmeister am Klavier“ did it all 200 years ago. It looks like the Beatles, Elvis and Elton John had nothing on Franz Liszt when it came to instigating mass hysteria among fans. His income was comparable to that of other outstanding musicians today, but his style of traveling definitely created a few financial difficulties. The logistics of these tours must have been quite a monetary challenge. Liszt always travelled with an entourage and two concert pianos. Not unlike our stars today, he toured the most important concert venues of his time, from South- and Central Europe all the way to Constantinople, St. Liszt's performances were deliberately planned and staged down to the last detail. This phenomenon was not entirely unintentional. Liszt was the equivalent of a pop star during his time, always surrounded by fans and followers: When Liszt played, his female fans stormed the stage, beleaguered concert venues and sometimes even fainted away. Contemporaries described him as “wise and naive at the same time, as well as dynamic, even reckless, unpredictable yet noble.“ Many of his colleagues envied him his extraordinary success. If you were to interview Liszt today, he would probably assert that he has two sides to his personality: part of his soul belonged to the Roma and Sinti, the other to the Franciscans.
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