romantic

Franz (Ferenc) Liszt (1811, Raiding, Hungary - 1886, Bayreuth, Germany) was a classical composer and an artist. Liszt became renowned throughout Europe for his great skill as a performer during the 1800s. He is said to have been the most technically advanced and perhaps greatest pianist of all time. He was also an important and influential composer, a notable piano teacher, a conductor who contributed significantly to the modern development of the art, and a benefactor to other composers and performers, notably Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz.

The French pianist, Alexandre Tharaud, graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris and started his international career in earnest when he won the 2nd Prize at the ARD Competition in Munich. As a soloist, Alexandre Tharaud has appeared with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Orchestre National de France...

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Born in 1810, Robert Schumann was a German romantic Composer of the 19th century. His main focus was the piano, an instrument for which he composed numerous masterworks, despite his lack of virtuosity. Starting piano lessons around the age of ten, Schumann never acquired the level of skill comparable to his contemporaries such as Chopin and Franz Liszt or his wife, Clara Schumann, due to an injured right hand, thought to be the result of either a syphilis treatment, or a surgery to increase the strength and reach of his fingers.

Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery" and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies.

Read more about Elliott Smith on Last.fm.