Franz Liszt is undoubtedly the greatest virtuoso in the history of music. This documentary, which hosts some of Liszt’s greatest experts (Charles Rosen, Antonio Pappano, Leslie Howard and Evgeny Kissin among others), focuses on his early years, those of his continuous, tireless travels across Europe. Heine defined this period as Lisztomania, precisely because of the stardom component that preceded the uncontrolled reactions of the pop and rock music audience by about a century and a half. A period also marked by the controversial relationship with Countess Marie D’Agoult, a relationship that outraged the society of the time, both for its clandestine and unorthodox nature, and for its dubious morality. These are the years of a frenzied artistic research for Liszt, a time of nostalgic candour to which he will return, later in time, dedicating some of his most brilliant pages to it, by the title The years of pilgrimage.

• RAI 3 – 52′
• International distributor Euroarts Medici / Tv
• Produced by Angelo Bozzolini, Roberto Prosseda, Luigi Melecchi
• Narrating voice Sonia Bergamasco, Giorgio Colangeli
• Directed by Angelo Bozzolini
• Written by Angelo Bozzolini, Roberto Prosseda
• Guests Sir Antonio Pappano, Evegny Kissin, Leslie Howard, Charles Rosen, Roberto Prosseda
• Editor di Paolo Buzzetti
• Sound engineer Davide Pesola
• Director of photography Lorenzo Scurati
• Executive producer Luigi Melecchi