The composer Franz Liszt was a rock star before there were rock stars. By the age of 11, he was already writing music and playing concerts for the public. He toured Europe as a pianist for 8 years starting in 1839, and fans reacted to his performances with what was called “Lisztomania.” They swooned and fought over souvenirs including locks of his hair.
The American Liszt Society Festival is a yearly event that moves around the country. This year, it’s at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, in October, and focuses on the idea of the “composer-pianist.” It also highlights Liszt’s visits to Russia in the 1840s, as part of that big tour. In conjunction with the festival, the museum is presenting the exhibition “Saint Petersburg as Franz Liszt Saw It,” on view August 10 through December 1.
The exhibition includes prints that show Russia at the time of the great musician’s visit: both large cityscapes and small, hand-colored scenes of everyday life. The cityscapes feature imposing buildings that were meant to inspire admiration and a sense of being part of something larger than oneself. The smaller prints show people close up as they go about their lives, on foot, on horseback, and in carriages. Together, they not only show the scenes Liszt would have witnessed, but also communicate the idea of a shared national identity. Side by side, these images show both grand and humble life in the mid-nineteenth century as part of the same national project.