The A+ Liszt

Hamilton, OH - The home-town audience walked out mesmerized.

Native son Bryan Wallick filled his November 15 Fitton Showstoppers performance with the music of Franz Liszt, interweaving virtuoso piano playing with historical context about the Hungarian composer, who was as big star in his day as Taylor Swift might be considered in ours.

(Only Liszt achieved that level of fame - Liszt-Mania - 185 years ago without viral videos, 70,000 seat stadiums and backup dancers.)

But much like TSwift, many dismissed Liszt as being a product of hype, not talent. Critics wrote him off as a serious composer because he was somehow too popular with the masses.

Yet the music endured and Wallick brought it stunningly to life. So much so that the silence from the house allowed the final notes of each piece he played to sustain for several seconds before giving way to applause. Wallick capped off a magical night at the Fitton Center with a revelatory version of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" as an encore.

Next up in the Fitton Showstoppers series, The Ultra Sonics turn the theater into a winter wonderland for Pop Rock Christmas on Saturday, December 13. Limited tickets remain and are available online right here, by phone at 513-863-8872, ext. 110 or in person at the Fitton Center box office. Meantime, take a look back and enjoy some photos from Bryan Wallick In Recitial in the gallery below.