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Liszt
in Leather, Easter and Other
Seth
Montfort
Artistic Director,
San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and
Russian
River Performing Arts Center and Conservatory of Music
As
body bags were being carried away outside his window
during a plague in Paris, Liszt was composing endless
variations on the Medieval death chant. The "other"
tenants in the apartment building where he resided wished
he would be carried out of their building! But Liszt
remained intensely devoted to his Dance of Death, The
Totentanz. He revised this work, originally
conceived for piano and orchestra, many times throughout
his life and even made a solo piano arrangement of it.
It was Bartok's favorite work by Liszt and is still often
viewed as the most percussive and modern sounding work of
the 19th century. The work also has a feeling of
having been written in a monastery. It wasn't, but
Liszt did in fact later become an Abbe and then lived in a
monastery. His solo piano version of his Totentanz
is rarely performed. The work is difficult enough
for any pianist before having to play both the piano and
orchestra parts at the same time. Liszt and the
concept of death defying virtuosity go hand in hand and
there is no greater example than this transcription.
But it is also a far reaching work and testament to the
power of Liszt's soul, spirit and mind.
After
years "slaving" away in practice rooms Liszt
built his fame as the greatest performing "master"
(of his instrument - the piano) in history. But he
also became legendary as indisputable master of something
else. He was the closest thing the 19th Century had
to the modern "edgy" rock star. But Liszt
was not a rock star. He was a classical composer,
conductor and pianist. Yet when he walked on stage
he would throw his gloves to audiences chalked full of
hysterical rock star like female groupies and they DID
clamor and scream for any contact they could get with the
master. That side of Liszt was short lived and has
been over promoted. Liszt retired after only 3 years
of performing as he became disillusioned for many of the
same reasons Rock Stars burn out today. He still
performed a great deal but only giving benefit concerts
and never accepting pay. He never charged any of his
hundreds of piano students either. Yet there was
still a chasm between Liszt, "the greatest pianist of
all time," and "the others."
Though the "other" musicians were often far from
magnanimous towards Liszt's work, he never allowed that to
interfere with his devotion towards their work.
Neither fame nor glory went to his head nor altered his
charitable nature. He donated more time and money to
other musicians than perhaps any other legendary musician
in history. But much like the tremendous money and
good will leather communities raise for charity, this
aspect of Liszt is rarely acknowledged. Perhaps
Liszt is most related to leather communities through
mastery and heart. The Totentanz has both for those
who listen. Many see the work as perfect for Easter.
Liszt was very religious, even Christ-like. Perhaps
he is destined to remain the most frequently crucified
classical musician of all time.
About
Seth Montfort
Seth Montfort is a French
descended pianist, composer and the Artistic Director of
San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and the 4-month-old
Russian River Performing Arts Center, located north of San
Francisco. He made his debut at 16 performing Ravel's
Concerto for the Left Hand with the Denver Symphony.
Montfort has an extensive repertoire ranging from Mozart,
Beethoven, and Liszt to tangos, polkas and rags from all
over the world. He has won a dozen Regional, National and
International Prizes and Awards. He has given over 1,000
solo recitals and over 100 performances as a soloist with
regional and National orchestras in concerti by Mozart,
Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Saint Saens,
Rimsky-Korsakoff, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Delius, Scriabin,
Ravel, and Gershwin. Montfort is currently finishing an
hour long Old World Piano Symphony and a two-hour long
Aztec Piano Symphony.
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