Franz Liszt and His World (The Bard Music Festival, 17)

Liszt scholarship has improved so much in the last 25 years starting with the Walker volumes. This book continues this wonderful trend. I particularly like the chapter on Wagner and Liszt's Orpheus - no Orpheus - no Tristan. No Liszt - no Wagner! Wagner's whole approach to composition, harmony esp., and orchestration changed as admitted by Wagner when he met Liszt and started to absorb what Liszt was doing. BTW, Orpheus was Wagner's favorite symphonic poem - I wonder why? Unfortunately, critics still repeat the same stereotypes associated with Liszt since Liszt's time! No one understood what he was doing, not even his closest admirers. I did attend the Bard Festival. It was truly a stunning event. Heard things there that you'll probably never hear again and that's a shame. This book is a must for anyone interested in classical music. No one, but no one was writing the way Liszt was writing from the beginning to end.

I am surprised that such a book was for sale to the general public. This book is for music scholars, not a general audience. One of the very few books I have not been able to finish as it is too complex and refers to so many obscure persons and works of music.It is perhaps unfair of me to give a lower score when I do not have the background to judge the work properly. My intent is to offer a warning to others whom may be seeking a general biography and not such a complex scholarly work.

Franz Liszt and His World is a collection of essays from a recent festival which includes the earliest biography of Liszt (when he was 25) as well as notes from Ms Reeman who wrote the only Liszt approved biography in the 1880's. The book is indespensible for research on Liszt.It is well written and well conceived and offers fairly broad appeal.