Lisztomania
13th March 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:15 pm
£15.00
Ellis Thomas – piano, Dennis Lavin – narrator
‘You can only guess at the acclaim he received here; people spoke of nothing but wonders and miracles…’
These are the words of Liszt’s father, Adam, who organised his first concert tours. ‘Lisztomania’ was the title of a rather wacky Ken Russell film about Liszt. He borrowed the word from Heinrich Heine, the German poet, who coined it to describe the effect of a Liszt performance on an audience. Club members may recall the Chopin evening which was presented a few years ago. Denis Lavin now turns his attention to Franz Liszt. Liszt was a composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist and charismatic super-star who dazzled and beguiled audiences throughout the salons and concert halls of Europe. Liszt invented the modern concert recital, devising a repertoire of pieces and playing from memory.
We welcome Ellis Thomas back to the Club, who has chosen pieces which reflect the range of Liszt’s music; Ellis will also show how Liszt influenced later composers. The evening promises to be a tour de force of music and theatre, revealing the paradoxical qualities of a generous, romantic and deeply spiritual genius.
