Francesco Piemontesi plays Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage: Italy

Experience the sights and sounds of Italy with some of Liszt's most evocative, contemplative work! Retrace the steps of his Italian Année de Pèlerinage (Year of Pilgrimage) with the world-renowned Francesco Piemontesi, who guides us through the music with anecdotes and interviews while showing himself “a pianist of exceptional refinement allied to consummate technical demand” (International Piano).

Breathtaking shots of Lake Como, Milan, Florence, and other exquisite Italian locales punctuate this immersive docu-recital that highlights Piemontesi’s sublime reading of Liszt’s cycle—inspired by the arts of painting (Raphael’s Sposalizio), sculpture (Michelangelo’s Il penseroso), and lyric and epic poetry (Petrarchan sonnets and Dante’s Divine Comedy).

After leaving Paris, Liszt and the Countess Marie d’Agoult spent time in Switzerland and then lived in Italy from 1837-39, venturing to the country’s most beautiful locations. Liszt’s memories of these days inform this second of three Années de Pèlerinage, often considered the pinnacle of his mature output as a piano composer.