Between the last days of 1840 and the early days of 1841 Liszt toured Ireland and Scotland with John Orlando Parry and others; he also visited Germany in July and during October-November 1840. Consequently, the present chapter is divided into two principal parts; it concentrates on Liszt's visits to London of the early 1840s, although his provincial English visits as well as his Irish and Scots itinerary of December 1840 – January 1841 are noted below.

Part I: May 1840 – February 1841

SYNOPSIS

It is tempting to imagine that, following upon both Liszt's immensely successful series of concerts in London in 1827 and upon his return to the capital on 6 May 1840, he expected to fulfil many scheduled engagements. The reality was rather different.

Shortly before his arrival, Liszt knew of only two: one organised by John Orlando Parry, his future travelling companion, and the other by Madame Lucy Anderson, a pianist with royal connections. However, such was the success both of his initial concert with Parry and Frances Toulmin, a member of the Royal Society of Female Musicians, and his appearance with Madame Anderson at Her Majesty's Theatre on 20 May, that Liszt soon found entry into the higher echelons of society and the opportunity to perform frequently. A portrait of Parry appears as Illustration C on page 132.

During this visit he introduced the “Piano Recital,” his own invention, to Great Britain, giving solo performances at the Hanover Square Rooms on 9 June and at the Willis Rooms twenty days later, when he was joined on the platform by Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull for a performance of Beethoven's “Kreutzer” Sonata. Liszt's performances at the Royal Philharmonic Society on 11 May and 8 June included Weber's Konzertstück and another performance of the “Kreutzer.”

Like Moscheles, Liszt was passionately devoted to Beethoven, his music, and the erection of a monument in his memory. During this visit to London Liszt not only performed his own transcription of Beethoven's “Pastoral” symphony at his first recital and played the “Kreutzer” sonata on several occasions, but also performed Moscheles's transcription of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony with two other pianists on at least three occasions as a finale to a work entitled “Hommage à Beethoven a Trio for Three Pianofortes.”