Head of School delivers Liszt world premiere

Professor Kenneth Hamilton recently gave the world premiere of an unpublished version for two pianos of Liszt’s Hexameron, a set of bravura variations on a theme from Bellini's opera I puritani, playing with fellow pianist Olivia Sham.

The performance on Friday 3 March was part of Liszt and Virtuosity: An International Symposium, a three-day event at the Eastman School of Music in the US, bringing together scholars and performers to focus on the pianism of Hungarian-born composer Franz Liszt.

Professor Hamilton is the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Liszt and authored the monograph: Liszt: Sonata in B Minor. As a pianist, he has also recorded several major works by the composer.

Professor Hamilton said of the event, "This was a wonderful opportunity to introduce what is by far the most effective and imaginative version of Liszt's celebrated Hexameron. The piece may not be among the most profound-- it was never intended to be - but it certainly is one of the most brilliant and enjoyable, both to hear and to play. Many thanks to the University of Rochester for making this premiere possible."