Liszt: La Campanella

The name of Liszt resounded across Europe in the 19th century. A celebrity on the level of a Frank Sinatra or Elvis, his piano playing stunned everyone who heard it. Women really did throw diamond necklaces at him and faint in the aisles.

Largely self-taught and inspired by the virtuoso violinist Paganini, Hungarian-born Franz Liszt (1811-1886) created a dazzling vocabulary of physical gymnastics and musical color for the piano. Even today, his compositions represent the pinnacle of virtuosity. To play Liszt well is to master piano technique.

A great pleasure of teaching is watching students grow into accomplished professionals. That’s one reason I want to share this particular performance of Liszt’s riveting La Campanella. Long ago, Valentina Lisitsa sat in my music history classes at Southern Methodist University. I remember her genial presence so well. An outstanding student, highly knowledgable before she ever came to us at SMU, she wrote elegantly in what was, for her, a second language (or possibly third or fourth!). Her papers and exams were a joy to read.

And oh what a pianist, even then! It was clear that she had the gifts necessary to open doors in the difficult business of music.

And, indeed, Lisitsa did it. She plays across the world, plus you can find her recordings and videos on line. She innovates in endearing ways, such as bringing a piano to a busy city street to serenade passers-by with Beethoven, or setting up an inpromptu performance of Chopin or show tunes on the beach! Her intense desire to light a fire in people’s hearts has become her musical signature.

Enjoy as Liszt and Lisitsa weave a web of magic in this performance of La Campanella. I’m grateful to have shared a moment of her journey and delighted to recommend this to you.