Christopher O’Riley's Covers of Liszt

About The Artist

Ravinia favorite Christopher O’Riley, himself a renowned arranger—he has brought the music of Radiohead, Nick Drake and Elliot Smith into the classical recital hall—pays tribute to the 19th century’s arranger par excellence, Franz Liszt, in a program showcasing the diversity of Liszt’s piano arrangements. Ranging from straightforward transcriptions to inspired elaborations and dazzling variations, Liszt’s arrangements were a primary means of music dissemination in the era before recordings and a way Liszt helped popularize works of composers he loved, using his charisma and star power as history’s greatest keyboardist.

Program Notes