Franz Liszt

". . . makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of Liszt as a man and superstar. Hilmes shines a light into the shadows behind a life lived in the spotlight, and he finds some surprising and indeed entertaining details there."—Andrew Taylor, Times

"If this book has a once-over-lightly feel, that is because there were many intertwined strands in Liszt’s extraordinary life, each of which could merit a book in itself. . . . Hilmes is illuminating on the emergence—and continuance into old age—of Liszt’s preternatural gifts as a pianist. And by drawing on hitherto unpublished documentary sources he provides a riveting chronicle of the composer’s tangled relationships."—Economist

"Invaluable: it is brilliantly written and comprehends material found nowhere else. Spencer's English translation is beyond praise."—Choice

"[Hilmes] sheds useful light on the way that Liszt’s achievement arose as much from his weaknesses as from his strengths."—New York Review of Books

“Hilmes conveys the authentic alongside the astonishing. . . . Engaging a wealth of prior scholarship, and incorporating several unpublished primary sources, he brings us a step closer to fully appreciating Liszt’s superstardom.”—Michael Vitalino, Notes

Won the 2017 Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title

"This is the book about Liszt I have been waiting for, vividly evoking both him and his context to reveal him as one the central figures—if not the central figure—of Western music in the nineteenth century, a vital link between Beethoven and Bartók, and a truly great and generous man. At last, we see him whole."—Simon Callow