LIFE AND WORKS - FRANZ LISZT

This novel biography of composer Franz Liszt combines a short history of his life, done by multiple voices in a theatrical style, with frequent and generous portions of his music. For example, Liszt's discovery of gypsy music in mid-nineteenth-century France is accompanied by a beautiful piece he composed then showing the inspiration. Parts of his most difficult to play piano compositions are included to underscore his musical intelligence. Talented author Jeremy Siepmann takes the lead role with most of the prose while other characters appear as scripted. The fidelity of both the music and voice on these CDs celebrates audio's superior ability to both entertain and educate. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]