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Showing posts from August, 2011

Franz Liszt Concert

It's not opera but here's a description of a concert I had the opportunity to attend in Vienna's Haus der Musik, a museum of music history and instruments. The concert was part of a free summer series. The concert focused on the life and work of Franz Liszt, played by a violinist and a pianist. The violinist explained that when he first set out to do this project and considered Liszt's life, he was struck by the fact that at the height of his popularity and ability, Liszt decided to retire from stage performance. He therefore lectured us through Liszt's life as he played. He began with  Un sospire  but gave it little introduction. Afterward, he discussed Liszt's childhood: Liszt outpacing his teacher, his father's attempts to woo Beethoven into assistance, his move to France, his status as a "wunderkind," etc. For comparison, he played a Mozart piece as an example of what Parisian audiences would have been "used to." He proceeded  to de

It's been a long time...

I know it's been a long time since I've been active on this blog, and it will be just a bit yet, before I'm active again. However, it is my intention to blog about performances I see in Vienna. Most will be singing related, of course, but some orchestral stuff may slip in, as well. Stay tuned!