Superstar

Donald Macleod explores Liszt’s love for the spotlight and his virtuoso era.

Franz Liszt was the original musical heartthrob - the most photographed man of the 19th century, who left a legacy of more than 700 compositions and in the course of his career made well over 1000 concert appearances. With his electrifying talent at the keyboard, he transformed the status of musician from servant to demigod. But he was also a man of complex character, who wore many masks and repeatedly reinvented himself. All this week, Donald Macleod looks at 5 faces of Liszt, uncovering key slices of his soul and identity.

Today, Donald explores Liszt’s showman side, from his career as a child prodigy, to his performing heyday, when he gave a concert roughly every 3 days and invented a whole new style of performance. Across the playlist, we get a sense of Liszt’s magnetism and charisma – how he could both dazzle with dexterity and pull at the heartstrings.

Prelude (No 1 from 12 Transcendental studies)
Alice Sara Ott, piano

Grand galop chromatique
Lang Lang, piano

“Un sospiro” (from 3 Etudes de concert, S144 No 3)
“La Campanella” (from Grandes Etudes de Paganini, S141 No 3)
Daniil Trifonov, piano

Mephisto Waltz No 1
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano

Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat major, S124
Alexander Ullman, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton, conductor

Gnomenreigen
Murray Perahia, piano

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West