Throughout a long and eventful life, Liszt knew EVERYONE: Liszt's father had been in the service of Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy
(yes, THAT Esterházy) and knew Haydn, Hummel and Beethoven personally. In Vienna, Liszt received piano lessons from Carl Czerny, who in his own youth had been a student of Beethoven and Hummel. He also received lessons in composition from Antonio Salieri, who was then music director of the Viennese court. He was Chopin's agent, collaborator, personal friend, bitter rival, and ultimately, his first biographer as well as benefactor to Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg and Alexander Borodin not to mention that his son-in-law was none other than Richard Wagner.

As a composer, Liszt was one of the most prominent representatives of the "Neudeutsche Schule" ("New German School"). He left behind an extensive and diverse body of work in which he influenced his
forward-looking contemporaries and anticipated some 20th-century
ideas and trends. Some of his most notable contributions were the
invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form and harmony, even including atonality.

We commemorate the birth of this towering musician with a performance one of his most innovative composition, the monumental Sonata in B Minor, performed by gifted young pianist, Haiou Zhang.