Eight exhibitions across Burgenland, that’s about what it takes to adequately explore the question: Who was Franz Liszt? He is said to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age and perhaps the greatest pianist of all time. He was an important and influential composer, a notable piano teacher, a conductor who contributed significantly to the modern development of the art, and a benefactor to other composers and performers, notably Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Edvard Grieg. His compositions anticipated and influenced 20th century music like that of Schönberg, Mahler, Debussy, and Bartók. But he was also a writer, child prodigy, female heartthrob, eccentric, member of the Franciscan order, and theater director. And he had a mesmeric personality and stage presence. The term Lisztomania (or Liszt Fever) dates back to 1844 when it was coined by poet Heinrich Heine. At the time, some even saw it as a real medical condition that was contagious.
