And through that, he had inspired the twenty year-old Liszt to become the Paganini of the piano through the development of a revolutionary technique for the instrument, to find the equivalent of what Paganini accomplished on four strings in terms of Octaves Arpeggios, jumps, and doublestops, on the piano.

He had redefined virtuosity and put it on another level. What Paganini did on stage was unheard of. The event which led him to explore a new unknown world of artistry was a concert by the Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini in 1831. He was the complete musician in the eyes of many. The birth of the poetic virtuosoThere were no more teachers left for Liszt anymore. It was the beginning of a new era in the young Liszt's life. At this time he also heard Hector Berlioz' revolutionary Symphonie Fantastique.

But the French Revolution of 1830 and the cry for justice and equality which he wholeheartedly supported, awakened the nineteen-year-old. It was in this time when Liszt actually had doubts about his profession and the piano. His fatherвЂ™s death, when he was barely fifteen was followed by years of severe depression when he stopped concertizing and mostly worked as a private teacher in aristocratic circles to earn his living. His first compositions were published, the most remarkable of them being an opera (the only one he wrote) and the 12 Etudes for Piano which 12 years later, he transformed into the 12 Etudes Transcendante, one of the most fantastic virtuoso piano works of all time. Whether aristocratic circles or the press, the uproar the 'new Mozart' caused as a performer and an improviser caught the cultural capital of the world by surprise. This was of course very special, coming from his idol and a meister who was not known for positive comments.What followed afterwards, were couple of years of non-stop touring (always accompanied by his father) with numerous recitals especially in Paris, which had become his new home. It's been told that the already sick and half-deaf composer, after hearing the young Liszt, stood up and under the thunderous applause of the audience, kissed his forehead and gave him his musical blessing. Present at one of those concerts was none other than Beethoven himself. Having the renowned pianist-pedagogue Carl Czerny (student of Beethoven) and Antonio Salieri as his teachers, who in his words put 'discipline in my talent', he made his wunderkind pianistic debut in Vienna at the age of ten playing works by Weber and most importantly (and this being the main attraction of the evening) making virtuoso improvisations on themes by Rossini and Beethoven. His beginnings as a musician were that of a typical child prodigy. The young Liszt was fascinated with the Gypsy musicians' improvisation abilities, a fascination which later in life became a basis for much of the music he wrote and performed. Liszt is unique - simply put: He is a phenomenon! The prodigyBorn 1811 in Raiding, Hungary and being an only-child, Franz Liszt's first piano teacher was his father Adam Liszt and his initial inspiration the temperamental music of the Gypsies who made home not far away. His unique compositions inspired and inflamed the imaginations of his own era, yet quite miraculously he laid the bases for a variety of schools that would grow in the distant future, such as the late Romantics, Impressionists and Atonal schools. Regarded as the greatest pianist of all time, who outplayed such greats as Chopin and Thalberg, his genius extended far beyond the piano, to push musical composition and performance well beyond its 19th Century limits. As a human being and as a musician, he was a revolution itself in a century of revolutions. Perhaps the statement might be interpreted as being an exaggeration but without doubt the versatile artistry and the controversial life of the 'Piano God' Franz Liszt remains remarkable. When Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was once asked to comment about Franz Liszt, he simply said: 'Liszt's life is a constant change between the scandalous and the divine'.

Franz liszt compositions