Transcriptions from Operas By Meyerbeer

Whilst residing in Paris Franz Liszt moved in the highest echelons of artistic and cultural life and claimed many notable friendships. One such was with Giacomo Meyerbeer, the leading exponent of French grand opera, and a figure of huge distinction. It was to Meyerbeers operas that Liszt turned in pursuit of a source of piano transcriptions, crafting exemplary and very popular works. Les patineurs from Illustrations du Prophète, with its spectacular glissandi, has become a virtuoso recital piece whilst Réminiscences du Robert le diable won immediate acclaim for Liszt in a Paris recital of 1841.