Franz Liszt – 200th Anniversary
Today, October 22 2011, marks the 200th birthday of Franz Liszt, the greatest piano virtuoso of his time, inventor of the modern piano recital and one of the most influential composers of the 19th century.
Piano Street here presents a collection of material and links to resources for you to enjoy in order to commemorate the great Franz Liszt.
Happy birthday, Franz!
Consolation no 3
Liszt’s six Consolations were inspired by a set of poems of the same name by the French author and literary critic Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve.
They were composed in 1849-1850, in the beginning of Liszt’s most productive period, when he had only recently abandoned the concert stage, persuaded by his lover Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein to concentrate on composition.
The most well-known piece in the set is No. 3, clearly inspired by the Nocturnes of Chopin, who had died in October 1849.
Free score to download and print: Liszt – Consolation no 3 in D-flat
Tip: Start a video below and then click the “Score preview” button to follow along in the score.
Listen to different recordings of Consolation no. 3:
Emil von Sauer (Liszt’s pupil)
Vladimir Horowitz
Lang Lang
Sandro Russo plays on Liszt’s 1862 Bechstein
Murray Perahia
Freddy Kempf
Paul Barton – tutorial
Liszt Challenge – Win a Gold Membership
Which are Liszt’s four most popular piano pieces?
Earlier this year we ran a survey among our members, asking which piano pieces they consider the most enjoyable and beneficial. Hundreds of piano students of all levels, teachers and pianists have submitted their answers and the results of the survey will be published later this year.
When looking at only Liszt music, the result coincides with the download statistics from Piano Street’s sheet music library:
There are four of Liszt’s piano pieces which are significantly more popular than his other pieces. The Consolation no 3 (above) is one of these four, but our question to you is:
Which are the other three pieces?
Note that the correct answer is based on preferences of Piano Street’s members, which does not necessarily reflect the view of a general public.
Send your answer to webmaster@pianostreet.com (use subject “Liszt Challenge”) before October 31.
Among those who submits the correct answer we will draw five winners who receives a 1 Year Piano Street Gold membership (value $47).
UPDATE
The correct answer is:
La Campanella, Liebestraum no. 3 and Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Winners: Judith Lanham, Luis Manuel, Brian N, Minh Anh Nguyen Vu and Dick Hill
Videos
Hungarian Rhapsody fun:
Tom & Jerry: Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Victor Borge: Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Wish Liszt
Biography and documentary:
Franz Liszt Project
The Nature of Genius: Franz Liszt Preview
Stroll around in Liszt’s apartment in Budapest
Liszt in (less than) 200 seconds
Bicentennial celbrations:
Celebrating Franz Liszt with Lisztomania 2011
CSO: Muti Conducts Liszt’s Bicentennial
Links
Barry Douglas and Leslie Howard talk Liszt on the BBC
Reuters: Superstar, ladies’ man: Happy 200th Franz Liszt
International Liszt Association
Franz Liszt Year 2011 – Hungary
Lisztomania 2011 – Burgenland
Lisztomania 2011 – free iPhone app
Franz Liszt at the Library of Congress
Liszt bicentennial prompts dissonance over composer’s true identity
World Liszt Day
More Liszt on Piano Street’s blog:
Kissin Giving Liszt to the World
Grand Style Liszt with Bererzovsky
The Grand Sonata – Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor
New Sheet Music: Liszt – Transcriptions of Songs by Schubert
Cziffra Plays Liszt’s Gnomenreigen
Recommended book: The Piano Master Classes of Franz Liszt
The Hungarian Liszt..? Exclusive interview with pianist Klára Würtz
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the World’s Largest Recording Series by a Solo Artist
Khatia Buniatishvili in Search of Faust
Your comments
Join the celebration: Send your greetings to Franz or share you comments, favourite Liszt-links or personal thoughts about Franz Liszt and his music in a blog comment!
Comments
Franz Liszt, Thanks for all your music and congratualations!
Comparing the tempi of “Consolation No.3” performances by Liszt pupil Emil von Sauer and Sandro Russo, note that in the old days, pianists often played faster than they do today. This is borne out by many, many historical piano performances originally recorded on 78 rpm discs, now available on CDs. According to written accounts, Liszt and his pupils played very fast, but with a light touch so they didn’t sound hurried or forced – just very natural.
As lovely as Russo’s performance is, note that he emphasizes the individual notes in the left-hand arpeggio figure, while Sauer turns those into a sweet cloud of sound in the background of the right-hand melody. Part of this tendency to slow things down may result from the comparative thickness of tone in the modern piano, as compared to the more immediate release of tone in the European pianos of Liszt’s long lifetime. While Russo was indeed playing a period piano, he must have learned that piece on a Steinway-type instrument.
Liszt the great hungarish pianist and composer brought the piano to a dizzy virtuosity. Surely he influenced the eight hundred second period symphonic music.
I am amazed that you did not offer Leslie Howard’s recording of Consolation No.3. He recorded “Liszt, The Complete Music For Solo Piano” which was monumental with some 57 albums that includes 95 CDs.
Happy birthday Liszt!
Glad to celebrate Liszt birthday
Congratulations.
I used to thought that Liszt was only a flamboyant brilliant show-off…and after studying many of his works….he exhausted every possible pianistic techniques that was available at the time..experimented with harmonies that foreshadowed, if not led to, 20th century music. Every emotion, from most profound grief to violent passionate outbursts and child-like simplicity is found within his music….
Happy Birthday to the one….the only….the revolutionary….Liszt ♪♫
LISZT, MI FAVORITO!
Congratualations! Thanks for all your wonderful music. You are grate.
Happy birthday Liszt, and thanks for your wonderful music!!
The man was of his own kind, i have loved his many performances and through his greate sheets and skills have made me learn music and day to day admiring his greate works. may he be in glory land.
HAPPY BIRTH DAY THE LIVING MUSIC THAT MANY CANT REACH. YOUR BITH COVERS THE GREATE IMPORTANCE TOWARDS MUSIC CREATION. MAY YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF THE GREATE PIANO AND CLASSIC CHALLENGES YOU GAVE US. THANX ALOT LIT.
Para mi, Liszt fue el mas grande compositor e intérprete del siglo XIX. Con su técnica interpretativa y su lenguaje musical, no solo influenció a músicos de su tiempo, ya que no era un persona je que se mantuviera quieto, sino que estaba en constante movimiento y así, considero que fue un músico futurista, iniciador del impresionismo y el atonalismo, por lo que no es comprendido por las mayorías. Felicidades por el 200 aniversario Franz Liszt.
Que bueno que existe este espacio. Saludos.
Studied Franz Liszt very little, but I do know he played with such exuberantly involved enthusiasm,that he would tend to break pianos on many occasions. How many I don’t know, curious to know though. mike s.
Happy birthday Liszt and thanks for all your wounderful music :)
thanks Liszt for giving the world the greatest classical compositions!
Hey liszt happy birthday yow!!;)
Happy Birthday Dear Franz Liszt.
From Argentina.
happy birthday Liszt…Thanks for dedications in music.
Happy Birthday Franz! It makes me proud to share your Hungarian lineage. I hope the world never forgets your music!
Happy birthday man ! // i hope your exercises will help me !
Your dante sonata is one of the most genius compositions that have ever written !! i am now learning it and it is a big pleasure to digg it to the deep .. You have also a genius transcriptions of all the operas , including mozart figaro and don juan … (gielels plays the figaro like a god , check out the second part with the doubles with two hands with a sound ! ) i wish u a great day at heaven ! see ya .. :)))
Happy birthday Franz,
I’m starting now to meet your music but I like it very much,
thank you!
to a great man in the history of music a pure poet of the sond cogratulations
Anna Ivanova plays Liszt on his personal 1862 Bechstein:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5wbE8eI-ks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Yo7u-O2QM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0KekFUMqAw
and on Franz Liszt’s Last becshtein in his house in Weimar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=HuSLq82Pj8A
Great idea to give us opportunity to print such a great piece of art and besides that to have access to see and hear this work played by some other great piano players.
Congratulations!
Liszt’s 200th birthday with pianist Lang Lang in Phildelphia Pa. with Maestro Dutoit was truly a remarkable honor for this remarkable composer so loved by pianists. I was there.
I would like to share with you my homage to Liszt: an excellent interpretation of ballade n. 2 by an italian pianist, Alessio Nanni. Happy Birthday Liszt! http://vimeo.com/24346333
There are also youtube versions of these Liszt recordings with sounds of the ocean, for example: http://youtu.be/vSitXrokF2k
I am admire of Lisz’ts Nocturne No Liebestraum .For long time i try find analize, theory research materials Liszt’s Nocturne No 3 (dreams of love), but unfortunately faild. If anyone could help, I would be very grateful. Arnold, Latvia. -my amail– arnoldsvalters@inbox.lv