Liszt

No composer in the world knew how to push the piano to its limits like Liszt. As a young man, having heard the legendary violinist Paganini play, he set out to become the "Paganini of the piano," and it's safe to say he succeeded. He became the best pianist of his age, with fellow composer Chopin admitting that Liszt played his studies better than he himself did. But Liszt also became one of the most imaginative composers for the piano of the Romantic era. His work is characterised by a rich and bold variety of textures, innovative harmony and a keen eye for structure.

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Liszt's best-known, and most accessible, pieces are:

-La Campanella- a transcription of a caprice by Liszt's aforementioned hero Paganini.

-Hungarian Rhapsody 2- immortalised by that Tom and Jerry episode. A joyous romp, showing off Liszt at his best.

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Three romantic/tender pieces-

-Un Sospiro

-Liebestraume

-Consolation 3

-Spanish Rhapsody- sadly lesser-known than the latter Hungarian, but still tremendously fun.

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The rest of Liszt's corpus, unfortunately, has a reputation as being difficult to get into. But persevere, and there's something for everyone, to be honest. I'd particularly recommend

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-Petrarch Sonnet 104- there's a particulraly heartbreaking crescendo (you'll know it when you hear it)

-His 2 piano concerti. Tragically underrated, but cheeky and heartbreakingly serene respectively.

-Années de pèlerinage- the above 'Sonnet' is from this larger set, music Liszt wrote about his "Years of Pilgrimage" across Europe.

-Harmonies du Soir- my favourite of Liszt's fiendishly difficult Transcendental Etudes. The whole set is worth a listen, too

-3 concert studies (including La Campanella)

-The B minor sonata- it has a reputation as the best sonata of its century (indeed, of all time). It's worth getting into Liszt if only to gain appreciation of this Matterhorn of music. Check out Krystian Zimerman's recording (he went through over 60 takes to get one he was satisfied with).

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