Franz Liszt led quite a life. He was a prodigy and a polymath who became so wealthy touring and giving concerts that for the latter half of his life he donated all his earnings to charity, and taught and mentored hundreds of musicians for free. Despite coming from humble origins, he was pursued romantically by various princesses and countesses. His proficiency on the piano caused some to accuse him of being possessed by the devil.
Valentina Lisitsa is the first Classical youtube star—she built her career almost entirely on youtube, leading to performances at Carnegie Hall among other top venues. She may be a Savant—she was performing publicly at the age of four, and as a child considered chess her primary interest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdH1hSWGFGU
The most challenging thing our high-school choir ever did was “The Path of the Just” by Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt. I still find parts of it running through my head at odd moments. I could not find a good clip of it on youtube, but I found another by him, in a high-quality recording. I think if we could hear the music of the spheres, it might sound like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-GhX2jG_Q4
“The Last Rose of Summer”
Another from Patricia Janečková. To have a voice this rich and mature at the age of 21 is remarkable. She is likely to become the great soprano of her generation. Not much more to say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkDQDoPCnC0
Set aside around 40 minutes for this
My mom considered the Piano Trio in B-flat Major the most beautiful piece of music in the world. As she was dying, she said she wanted it to be the last thing she heard. “Don’t bother playing it at my funeral, that would be stupid!” is how she put it. The last couple of days, as she sank out of reach, we played all of her favorite music, and put this piece in, as they say, “heavy rotation”. I hope it eased her way. This is not the same version, but a higher-quality recording, featuring three legends performing together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BCcJIxiFX0
Anastasia Huppmann plays Chopin
Frederic Chopin wrote mostly for the piano. Building on the Classical era, he brought emotionality to the fore, making him one of the iconic Romantic era composers. Like Liszt, he was regarded as almost supernaturally gifted, and his compositions are technically challenging. Today, because of his lyrical and melodic style, he is a frequent inspiration for composers seeking classical themes for pop and rock music.
Anastasia Huppmann is a Russian-born Austrian pianist who transitioned from prodigy to serious interpreter of Classical and Romantic-era music. She tours widely but is also a denizen of the internet, where she has a big following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6cbCWzHXkg
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