Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1-5 Transcribed for Solo Piano

by Franz Liszt

In 1843, Franz Liszt made the handsome gesture of absorbing the costs for a monument to Beethoven in Bonn. The spiritual affinity he felt for Beethoven also moved this great piano virtuoso to pay an even finer tribute, a superlative set of piano transcriptions of the master's nine symphonies. This volume contains the first five of these works, reproduced from the original plates authorized by Liszt himself.
Liszt's brilliant transcriptions enabled nineteenth-century audiences and amateur pianists to become acquainted with Beethoven's works even when no orchestras were available. Indeed, the great pianist's capacity for translating orchestral effects into pianistic terms was nothing short of astonishing.
Today, through Liszt's remarkable ability to re-create orchestral fabric at the keyboard, pianists are able to experience all the beauty, drama, and poetry pervading these five great works. A memorable tribute from one musical genius to another, these compositions will delight pianists and music lovers alike.

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1998

About the author

Franz Liszt (1811, Doborján, Hungary - 1886, Bayreuth, Germany)(Hungarian: Ferencz Liszt, in modern usage Ferenc Liszt, from 1859 to 1865 officially Franz Ritter von Liszt) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist and teacher. He was also the father-in-law of Richard Wagner.

Liszt became renowned throughout Europe for his great skill as a performer during the 1800s. He is said to have been the most technically advanced and perhaps greatest pianist of all time. He was also an important and influential composer, a notable piano teacher, a conductor who contributed significantly to the modern development of the art, and a benefactor to other composers and performers, notably Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz.

As a composer, Liszt was one of the most prominent representatives of the “neudeutsche schule” (“New German School”). He left behind a huge and diverse body of work, in which he influenced his forward-looking contemporaries and anticipated some 20th-century ideas and trends. Some of his most notable contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form and making radical departures in harmony.