Franz Liszt, the ultimate piano virtuoso of the 19th century, is revealed as a great musical innovator.
For some people Liszt was the ultimate virtuoso pianist: long-haired, handsome and armed with a diabolical technique – enough to make ladies swoon. But for Richard Gill, Liszt was one of the most forward-looking composing voices of the mid-19th century as well as the inventor of the symphonic poem, where conventional forms give way to the power of emotions and narrative.
In this concert you can discover Liszt’s visionary harmonic language through the “misfortune and glory” of his hero Prometheus.
Kurt Weill (of “Mack the Knife” fame) might seem like an unexpected companion, but there’s method in the madness. “They are both great harmonic innovators,” explains Gill, “and absolutely unique voices. Nobody else wrote they way they did.”
LISZT Prometheus – Symphonic Poem
WEILL Symphony No.2: 1st movement
Richard Gill conductor
Discover Liszt in his 200th anniversary year and join us for: Piano Concerto No.2 (3, 4, 5 March) and Tasso, Lament and Triumph (29 June, 1, 2 July), as well as solo piano music on 7 March (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet), 1 August (Freddy Kempf) and 15 September (Evgeny Kissin).