Petrarch Sonnets / Venezia E Napoli

Franz Liszt's three pieces inspired by the sonnets of Petrarch were written in Italy after his elopement with Marie d'Agoult. They describe the dawning and power of love, the beauty of the poet's mistress, and the pain which love brings. Further Italian themes are explored in the virtuoso Venezia e Napoli, while the charming Klavierstuck No. 2comes from the period after the couple's bitter parting. The stormy Toccata is from Liszt's old age, and the formidable Grand Galop chromatique was one of his favorite crowd-pleasing encores.