Lisztomania & the Assembly Rooms

On Thursday 20^th August 1840, commencing at 8.00pm, Hungarian composer and piano playing genius, Franz Liszt opened an evening concert in the Assembly Rooms in Blandford. The celebrated pianist was at the time the equivalent of a rock star of the period with his flowing locks, slim figure and mesmeric personality. Franz Liszt was so revered across Europe that in Vienna confectioners sold piano-shaped biscuits iced with the words ‘Liszt’.

Invitations to attend were extended to members of the local nobility and gentry. Family tickets for four could be purchased for twenty one shillings (£1.05) and a single ticket for six shillings (30p). At the time, a typical weekly wage for an agricultural worker was around eight shillings (40p).

Franz Liszt performed the Marche Hongroise, his Grand Galop Chromatique and other pieces from his recitals. The event was organised by Louis Lavenu, a London based musician and entrepreneur. Also on stage, Liszt was supported by opera singer Mademoiselle de Varny who had also performed at La Scala, Milan, in Paris and at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.

The concert in Blandford was part of a wider national tour. The musicians had travelled across Britain in horse drawn coaches in an era when train travel was in its infancy. At the time, highwaymen attacks were not uncommon and road conditions were particularly poor. Franz Liszt had held a series of concerts across Europe and at some there were outbreaks of what became known as Lisztomania. Admirers of Liszt would fight over his handkerchiefs and gloves. Women would try to get locks of his hair and if he broke a piano string admirers would make it into a bracelet. Whether there was an outbreak of Lisztomania in the Blandford Assembly Rooms on the evening of Thursday 20th August 1840 is not known!

Built in 1771, the Assembly Rooms in West Street were a popular venue for musical performances, political meetings, dancing lessons and theatrical events. The Franz Liszt Concert was the most prestigious event to be held there since the son of Johann Sebastian Bach had given a performance in the Assembly Rooms back in 1773. Franz Liszt also gave concerts in Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury and Lyme Regis.

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