Péter Eötvös

Lisztomania

Chapter 11 of James Joyce's Ulysses is a real treasure trove of existing and invented words and names; each word and name triggers off a whole series of associations, images, stories and sounds - particularly when the reader is a Hungarian composer who comes across the phrase 'Liszt's rhapsodiesÂ'.I immediately heard music by Franz Liszt in my head and visualised the two protagonists in the novel sitting on a terrace drinking coffee, chatting and dreaming, witty and endearing - which is also a perfect description of this small piano composition for four hands. Peter Eötvös