Rush - Closer To The Heart

But Paganini, both his manner of performance and his personality, was not as impressed by Liszt as, for example, the same Berlioz or subsequently Chopin, but even rather repelled. Liszt himself very accurately determined the reason for his rejection: the “vain egoism” inherent in the violin genius. According to Liszt, only overcoming any manifestation of selfishness in art has the right to be called an artist. Selfishness, which was supremely embodied in the nature of Paganini, was deeply alien to Liszt - this is evidenced even by the fact that, despite the sincere admiration for his skill and repeated attendance of Italian concerts in 1831, 1832 and 1833, as well as fleeting meetings in various Parisian cities at home, Liszt never looked for rapprochement with him and practically did not communicate.