Liszt

Sacheverell Sitwell traces how Franz Liszt went from a gifted young pianist to a celebrated figure across Europe, and how that early triumph shaped the rest of his life. The biography approaches its subject with sympathy and understanding, presenting a man who was both brilliant and hard to know.

Sitwell brings his poet's sensibility to the telling, recreating Liszt's world in vivid detail and capturing the artistic mood of the nineteenth century. The result is a lively, characterful portrait rather than a dry record of dates and concerts.

It is one of the first studies of Liszt published in English, and it remains a notable account of the composer's life.