Stories from A Book of Liszts
Variations on the theme
of Franz Liszt
by John Spurling
Read by Jonathan Keeble and Jilly Bond
Piano – János Balázs
Music recording in collaboration with the Palace of Arts – Budapest
Franz Liszt – Un sospiro Etudes de concert No 3 – Janos Balazs piano
A series of lively essays built around Liszt’s music
‘John Spurling’s Stories from a Book of Liszts is elegantly conceived and flawlessly performed. . . Spurling applies a highly effective variety of literary styles to his episodic and semi-fictional account of a life that Liszt himself said was “more to be invented than written after the fact”. Each tale is laced with Janos Balazs’ stylish playing of music by Liszt, and the third CD is altogether given over to it, the perfect way of giving us time to appreciate — and chuckle at — Spurling’s ingenious sequence of literary variations on his theme.’
Christina Hardyment, The Times
‘Four stories linked by an inspired selection of Liszt’s music recreate periods of his colourful life . . . A most elegant and unusual celebration of the composer whom Wagner called “this colossus”‘.
Rachel Redford, The Oldie
‘A brilliant combination of words and music that celebrates the extraordinary life of the virtuoso pianist and composer Franz Liszt, suitably timed for the bicentenary of his birth. New recordings by Hungarian pianist János Balázs of 15 of Liszt’s piano works accompany readers Jonathan Keeble and Jilly Bond in this excellent production.’
Choice Magazine
‘ . . . Fifteen dramatic moments comprise the original book, of which four humdingers are performed here, with exuberant panache, by Jonathan Keeble and Jilly Bond. It is highly entertaining, and a glorious bonus is that one of the CDs is an uninterrupted concert of the maestro’s music, played by the young, astoundingly brilliant Hungarian pianist János Balázs: Liszt reborn.’
Sue Gaisford, The Independent on Sunday
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