Barto's Liszt

About The Artist

It was the “diabolical” virtuosity of violinist Nicolò Paganini that inspired Franz Liszt to become the most accomplished pianist of all time, and it was his music that inspired both Liszt and Brahms—exponents of the two sides of the “War of the Romantics”— to create works based on Paganini originals. The Six Etudes earned composer George King the 2010 Barto Prize of the Lake Eustis Institute in a unanimous decision by the distinguished panel of judges comprising Augusta Read Thomas, Bright Sheng and Aribert Reimann. Liszt’s formidable—and only—entry in the sonata genre rounds out the program, one of several interpretations of his masterpiece that will be presented this summer.

Program Notes