Jump to content

What Are You Listening To Right Now?


Guest Black Lotus

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Before there were rock stars, there was Franz Liszt. In the mid 19th-century, Liszt was the most popular and sought-after musician of this day. A pianist with great artistry and great charisma, his European tours were greeted with a fan frenzy reminiscent of the American tours of the Beatles. Women thought he was the sexiest man alive (a feeling of which he took full advantage) and everyone was in awe of his playing. He was almost the polar opposite of his friend and rival Frederic Chopin: Chopin was a moody introvert who preferred intimate venues such as noble and bourgeois salons, while for Liszt the bigger the stage the better. And he was always seeking to expand the repertoire of his instrument, even beyond his work as a composer.

 

So at one point he decided he would add the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven to his repertoire by arranging all nine for the piano. It was a quixotic gesture, but then Liszt was a quixotic man. The results have since occasionally been recorded as complete sets, and I got my hands on one of them recently through Rhapsody.

 

Give Liszt credit for understanding his instrument. The piano doesn't quite convey all the subtle layers and shadings of sound Beethoven used so fluently, but the transcription is spectacular and demanding from a player. It sounds similar to the original works, and yet in other ways completely unlike them.

 

Eventually Liszt himself would turn to the orchestra and conducting, popularizing the "tone poem" (a form that would perhaps reach its ultimate expression fifty years later with Richard Strauss) and composing at a furious pace. Eventually, finally exhausted with performance and womanizing, he repented his "wicked ways", stopped touring, and took up the Catholic priesthood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"The Dark Morris Song" by Steeleye Span from the album, Wintersmith

 

 

Upon seeing the album title and the song title, I knew this had to be inspired by Terry Pratchett. Quick Googling verifies. Will have to try giving this one a listen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...