Sinner

Donald Macleod unpacks Liszt’s love life and his brushes with scandal.

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.

As a travelling performer and cosmopolitan wanderer, Liszt was pretty hard to tie down… And as a celebrity who was the talk of Europe, it’s no surprise that his dalliances were, too. Today, Donald explores Liszt’s romantic relationships, from secret trysts in Paris to illegitimate offspring and an open affair with a Princess which involved the interference of the Pope.

En rêve
Paul Lewis, piano

Romance oubliée, S132
Steven Isserlis, cello
Thomas Adès, piano

Premiere année de pèlerinage, S160: Suisse (excerpt)
Bertrand Chamayou, piano

Die Lorelei
Diana Damrau, soprano
Helmut Deutsch, piano

Les Preludes
Dresden Philharmonic
Michel Plasson, conductor

Liebestraum No 3 in A flat major
Martin James Bartlett, piano

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West