Christopher Taylor, a celebrated piano virtuoso and professor of music at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will perform Franz Liszt’s transcriptions of Ludwig van Beethoven’s first and ninth symphonies at 8:00 on Saturday, February 1st at the Mead-Witter Foundation Concert Hall.  On Tuesday, January 28th, Prof. Taylor sat down at WORT’s well-loved upright to play a excerpts from these monumental works and discuss his upcoming performance with “Back Porch Serenade” host Peter Haney.  The interview contrasted recorded selections from the Berlin Philharmonic’s recording of the 9th under Herbert von Karajan with Prof. Taylor’s live performances of Liszt’s transcriptions, illustrating the choices involved in rendering such complicated orchestral works on the piano.

Photo Credit: Jon Miner.