Franz Liszt: The Weimar Years, 1848–1861

I highly recommend all 3 books in this series.. Thoroughly researched and a wonderful read. So much information that I did not know before even though this is my chosen field.

"It is a peculiarity of Liszt's music that it faithfully and fatally mirrors the character of its interpreter. When his works give the impression of being hollow, superficial and pretentious, the fault usually lies with performer, occasionally with the (prejudiced) listener, and only rarely with Liszt himself." - Alfred Brendel. Liszt Misunderstood (1961)Reading the second volume of Alan Walker's biography of Liszt, 'Franz Liszt: The Weimar Years, 1848-1861', it is clear that the struggles he undertook willingly during his life persist to this day.Liszt is a fascinating character and extraordinary central figure in the development of classical music. It is not only that much of his music remains underrated, but also his influence and encouragement to composers across the long span of his life is easily overlooked. On a simple level Liszt's ability to see the genius in Berlioz and Wagner, to champion their music when not many others were is to his credit. But looking a little deeper, as Walker's exceptionally detailed account of the Weimar period permits, one must admit that Liszt's radical (at the time) understanding of the art of the conductor, together with his unwavering certainty that music had to develop in new directions, mark him out as something more than many of his contemporaries.Liszt was also, in the field of music, an exceptionally generous personality. Having spent a few hundred pages cataloging how the critic Eduard Hanslick savaged Liszt's endevours both as a composer and a conductor, Walker describes how the two met at a dinner party and sat down to play some four-handed Schubert. Certainly Hanslick deserves some credit too for having the grace to lay down the cudgel for one evening, but then again he was slinging the arrows. Liszt's generosity also extended to bailing out Wagner on more than one occasion. Given the content of Wagner's letters and his extraordinary ego it is surprising Liszt only showed his anger when Wagner had the temerity to ask for a pension.'The Bearer of the Beautiful' is the phrase Liszt used to describe the role of the Artist. As Walker describes on more than one occasion, Liszt had a profound belief that music was 'the voice of God' and that the true artist had a sacred duty towards music. I doubt such a philosophy was more accepted then than it would be today. It is not so much the clear link Liszt draws to religion but the concept of the musician as a willing servant to music. And yet, when we reflect upon the musicians that most affect us while we listen to them, is it not their 'authenticity' that we find most persuasive?At its best Walker's biography of Liszt is a wonderful advocate for the forgotten Liszt. The dissection of Liszt development as a composer of orchestral music sets about placing the Symphonic Poems and the Faust and Dante Symphonies in their proper place in the development of Romantic music. Walker enthusiasm is such that one is inevitably pushed to listen to these works again. Walker also does manful service in showing how Liszt worked exceptionally to reshape the role of the conductor; without much of his work in Weimar and in the teachings he passed on to his pupils it is impossible to see how concert performance would have developed to today's norms.Walker is of course a genuine (and absolute) advocate for Liszt. On cannot help feeling that on occasion he sidesteps some of Liszt's more questionable behaviour, or at the very least mounts a genteel defense. Liszt's family life was both complicated and painful, but leaving his children so long in the care of others is remarkably heartless, given his deep affection and generosity towards his friends and admirers.Things get even more tricky when dealing with Liszt's support for Wagner, particularly his silence over Wagner's anti-Semite pronouncements. Walker makes the case that Liszt was marked 'guilty by association', which he feels is unfair given the composer's numerous Jewish pupils and supporters. Perhaps Liszt, as in many other cases, felt that his actions would speak louder than any words he might publish, but he showed incredibly poor judgement in allowing Princess Carolyne to spread racist nonsense in a book that bore his name. But as been proven so often over the last two hundred years, saying and dong nothing in the face of brutality and intolerance invites it to continue and flourish.It is no surprise that Liszt should flawed judgement at times in his life. Walker's front foot defense is in part a response to the legacy of Liszt's previous biographers, who either had a personal axe to grind or started from the position of questioning Liszt's place in the pantheon. Walker's incredible energy and dedication to rooting out the truth of his subject is both miraculous and marvelous, probably leaving little room for improvement in the future. In the case of all such works of research and biographical analysis surely the final measure is if they illuminate our understanding of the subject themselves. By this measure certainly Liszt has a worthy champion.

My views of Liszt were based on a 60+ year old book, Hungarian Rhapsody and the movie, over 50 years old now, Song Without End. The movie was a bravura performance by Dirk Bogarde who even spent months learning the arm/hand movements to make it almost seem as if he played the music...which was also fantastic as were the concert halls and palaces used as sets.Liszt comes off in the book and the movie as talented but somewhat shallow...Personally, I was very much taken with his music. But, recently, I read an article that indicated he was being re-evaluated, shall we say...as was his music and all for the better. So, I bought this volume and found out I knew nothing...correction, very little about Franz Liszt and what I "knew" was essentially wrong. My appreciation grows for him...his pioneering musical works...his personal life...his saving Wagner from musical and personal oblivion...his efforts in conducting...the triple organ...let me stop here. I am ordering the other 2 volumes posthaste ..and my,as someone with a PhD, admiration and respect for Mr. Walker for his prodigious research and clarity of writing...Bravo, bravissimo!

I can only echo what I wrote about Vol. 3:This is a magnificent biography. I have read all three volumes and recommend them to every music lover. Liszt was significant in so many ways, as a nurturer of other composers, as a voice of his native land, and of course as a friend and victim of Wagner (but who was NOT a victim of that anti-musical megalomaniac?)This biography covers other complex musical relationships existing between Liszt and the most famous composers of that time, including Brahms and both Schumanns. Then too there are stories of contentions in the musical world beyond the personal, such as with the dedication of a memorial to Beethoven at his birthplace.Without a doubt, a wonderful history of that thrilling era in European music when sonority and actual human passion meant something to the creators.

I bought this book and received in excellent condition. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because it took maybe 3 weeks almost to come in. I realize that is a USPS deal but none the less, i hate waiting! Will use seller again. Good quality product!

This second volume of Walker’s magisterial biography acquaints the reader with Liszt’s productive middle years in Weimar, with all its triumphs and disappointments. The insights into his contributions to modern conducting were fascinating and quite new to me. Also fascinating were the insights into his orchestral compositions, which remain rather seldom performed and were largely unknown even to me as a former orchestra musician. Much of that music anticipates Wagner by years or decades!

The Weimar Years (Volume II) is without any doubts a journey full of musical and historical excitement that began with Volume I, The Virtuoso Years. This volume presented to me the historical events as they unfolded and how in conjunction with his personal life did have an effect on his musical compositions and legacy. By now, the journey is unstoppable and desperately urges you to keep reading. Fortunately, there is Volume Three, The Final Years. You won't regret it!

This book has been with me for 2-3 months. Its big, and very informative. It's facinating, I don't know from where Mr. Walker had found so much information, but it seems that he actually had been with Mr. Liszt day by day :)Anyway - great book. Told in an interesting manner, never boring, make you want to hear Liszt more and more (and to appriciate tha man's music and work)

What I said about volume one applies here, plus the focus here is on his years at Weimar where he lead the creation of what was called The New German school or what we today just call late romanticism which is probably a more useful term as it makes clear their extension of early romanticism and as a bridge to early modernism and French music.The author does a wonderful job of recreating the period with evocative descriptions of personal experiences and relationships. Highly recommended.

I have given these books of Alan Walker to just about the most needy people I know: a friend suffering from loneliness, another who was dying and another who is serving time in HM prison, Swaleside. Why? Because they are quite brilliantly written, absorbing accounts of a genius and his extraordinary times.

This is without question the best biography of Franz Liszt. It was thoroughly researched over a 25-year period. It was written in an engaging manner and does not gloss over any details. The table of contents was written in the informative old-school manner. The footnotes are helpfully located on the pages where they are referenced, rather than at the end of the book. Everything about this book is outstanding. You might think that three volumes are a lot to read, but they are pure enjoyment. This shows the painstaking work that the author brought to this book in writing in a manner that invites you into the 19th century life of Franz Liszt.

Alan Walker’s magisterial 3-volume biography of Liszt needs no further endorsement having been a standard work for many years. This is just to urge anyone interested in Liszt to plunge in and not be put off by its length - it is compulsive reading, even the footnotes, which contain much fascinating material. The scholarship is awesome.Liszt has suffered at the hands of his biographers in the 20th century - Ernest Newman’s disgraceful character assassination, Sacheverell Sitwell’s friendly but inaccurate biography, and Eleanor Perenyi’s quirky volume which stops abruptly in 1861, to name but three. Walker unpicks the many controversies surrounding Liszt’s long and complicated life, and explores the man, his life and his music in a compelling narrative.

Volume 2 of this masterpiece of a biography is as rewarding and as fascinating as Volume 1. Its incredibly thorough, responsible and sensitive re-working and re-examination of all sources results in the correction of so many errors in previous perceptions and assessments of Liszt, as teacher, musician, performer, humanitarian, and lover. Value beyond price.