Composer, bon vivant, pianist, teacher, superstar showman, raconteur, writer, entrepreneur, ladies' man, and philanthropist, Franz Liszt is widely viewed today not only as a great composer but also as the greatest pianist of the 19th century. Yet his enormous body of piano music, by turns poetic, glittering, acrobatic, prophetic, profound, and haunting, failed to command the acclaim it deserved in his lifetime. In this book, John Bell Young takes a close look at this opulent music, illuminating its many facets and challenges from a pianist's engaged perspective. The book includes a full-length music and arts CD.