This course presents three composers: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frederic Chopin, and Franz Liszt, who not only composed but, in their own right, were famous concert pianists and orchestral conductors. We will discuss their lives in relation to their music and the times. Performances of the music will be presented via video clips where it will be shown that, while different, they had a similar style, structure, and sound. While the first two were not show business types, Liszt was equivalent to what we today would consider a “Rock Star."

This course will be presented in a lecture format.