Opera Scotland

Liszt and Scotland (talk) 2011Wagner Society of Scotland

Read more about the opera General

Derek Watson gives an audio-visual presentation. As usual, non-members are welcome but please contact Derek through the contact details on the website to make sure a place is available.

Following in the footsteps of Mendelssohn, Chopin and Paganini, Liszt made a remarkable tour to Scotland as a young man, of which we will hear an entertaining account. Also, four people close to him had Scottish connections; the eminent conductor Hans von Bülow directed a season in Glasgow and left a lasting mark on Scottish music-making during several visits; Liszt's pupils Eugen d'Albert and Frederic Lamond were both born in Glasgow and became world famous piano virtuosi; and Liszt's friend the composer Sir Alexander Mackenzie, born in Edinburgh, was important in musical education, and, along with those of d'Albert, his works are being rediscovered. William Wallace, born in Greenock, was another composer influenced by Liszt and Wagner, and he wrote books about both. Derek Watson has gathered rare and interesting material about those Scottish connections, providing opportunities for musical and visual illustrations of Liszt's life and extraordinary influence.

Check the website of the Wagner Society of Scotland here for more information.

£5 members, £6 non members.