Chopin and Liszt: The Development of Pianism (September 2010-September 2011)

Chopin and Liszt draws on the Academy’s Collections to highlight the impact of these two seminal figures on nineteenth-century keyboard culture.

By the early years of the nineteenth-century, the piano had become a forceful and subtle instrument. Chopin (1810 – 1849) and Liszt (1811 – 1856) were two of the most successful composer-performers to master the musical potential of these technological advances.

This exhibition includes examples of the types of piano that inspired them. Academy students will demonstrate the instruments for visitors and give personal insights into the lasting importance of Chopin and Liszt. Collection material on display shows their impact on pianists of all levels of ability, on piano teaching and on other musicians.

The exhibition will form the core of a busy programme of performance-related events.

Images on this page (left to right):
- Portrait of Franz Liszt. Carte de visite, sepia, 1860s. Reproduction.

- Frederic Chopin. Portrait. Photograph by Henry Herschel Hay Cameron of a drawing in pencil by Franz Winterhalter, 9 Mai 1847.