In response to Robert Peter's characterization of Liszt (and his music-
Robert seems not to be able to distinguish between the composer and the
output) as vain and self centered, I can liszt some of this composer's
work which is anything but.  I am a sucker for Liszt's arrangements of
Schubert's songs for piano. They are not showy virtuoso pieces, but
seem to be very personal arrangements, labors of love, which do not
wander far from the original.  There is the very direct and expressive
Missa Choralis, and of course, the piano music.  Of course much of the
piano music is virtuosic, so what?  It is fun to hear.  Liszt was, after
all, a virtuoso pianist and showing off was part of the game, perhaps
more so in the nineteenth century than later.  And then there is the
fascinating late piano music, which is full of experimentation - one
piece is explicitly labelled as "without tonality".

It is perhaps not generally appreciated that Liszt was a great lieder
composer.  This is clearly revealed in a fine Capriccio cd  by Shirai
and Holl.

Bernard Chasan