Liszt

Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was a Hungarian-born composer, virtuoso pianist, and one of the most influential figures of the Romantic era. Born in Raiding, then part of the Austrian Empire, he demonstrated prodigious talent from an early age and achieved international fame as a touring pianist in the 1830s and 1840s. His performances helped redefine the public concert, introducing the virtuosic recital as a central artistic form.

Liszt's work spans solo piano, orchestral, and choral music. His piano output includes the Transcendental Études, the Piano Sonata in B minor, the Liebesträume, and the Hungarian Rhapsodies, which fused technical brilliance with national folk elements. He also advanced program music through works such as the symphonic poems and the Faust Symphony, and he wrote influential transcriptions and paraphrases that expanded the repertoire for piano.

In the Weimar era he served as conductor, organizer, and mentor, fostering a circle of composers and performers. He championed contemporary composers, helped popularize Richard Wagner's operas, and influenced the development of Romantic musical aesthetics. Liszt's family life included his daughter Cosima, who married Wagner and became a central figure in the Bayreuth circle.

Liszt's legacy lies in his profound impact on piano technique, recital practice, and the expansion of the Romantic piano and orchestral repertoire. He died in Bayreuth in 1886, leaving a generation of pianists and composers who carried forward his ideas about performance, orchestration, and program music.