Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"La Campanella" by Franz Liszt is one of the most famous and virtuosic piano pieces in classical music. If there were a hit list of piano encores, "La Campanella" (Italian for "The little bell") would surely be among the top 10 — the dazzling piece is at least just as challenging as it is spectacular. The wide leaps required of the right hand are considered a technical feat that not every pianist is able to master.
Yet the young Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko navigates the work’s difficulties with elegance and seeming ease. He chose this piece as an encore after a concert in which he had previously performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K. 488, with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under the direction of Cornelius Meister. The concert was part of the Kissinger Sommer festival, and took place on July 11, 2025, in the famous Max Littmann Hall in Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) drew inspiration for this musical miniature from the extraordinary technique of the violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), transferring the brilliance of the violin to the piano. "La Campanella" was published in 1851 as part of the etude collection "Grandes Études de Paganini." The recurring bell motif, which gives the tune its title, is the piece's defining characteristic. High, bright tones create the impression of a little bell ringing.
Ovcharenko, born into a family of teachers in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in 2001, has already had an impressive international career despite his young age. He has taken home numerous prizes at prestigious piano competitions, including first prize at the Prix du Piano in Bern, and performs in some of the world’s finest concert halls. His playing has been described by critics, including the industry magazine International Piano, as "technically flawless and musically impeccable."
Text: Anastassia Boutsko
© 2025 Kissinger Sommer
Watch more great concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
More famous piano recitals here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBU7k2TJgrgNCc9aygnNkaGZ
And more music from the Romatic era here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBUCHNKKxIIM88sntDk1TVih
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#liszt #pianorecital #romanticeramusic
"La Campanella" by Franz Liszt is one of the most famous and virtuosic piano pieces in classical music. If there were a hit list of piano encores, "La Campanella" (Italian for "The little bell") would surely be among the top 10 — the dazzling piece is at least just as challenging as it is spectacular. The wide leaps required of the right hand are considered a technical feat that not every pianist is able to master.
Yet the young Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko navigates the work’s difficulties with elegance and seeming ease. He chose this piece as an encore after a concert in which he had previously performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K. 488, with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under the direction of Cornelius Meister. The concert was part of the Kissinger Sommer festival, and took place on July 11, 2025, in the famous Max Littmann Hall in Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) drew inspiration for this musical miniature from the extraordinary technique of the violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), transferring the brilliance of the violin to the piano. "La Campanella" was published in 1851 as part of the etude collection "Grandes Études de Paganini." The recurring bell motif, which gives the tune its title, is the piece's defining characteristic. High, bright tones create the impression of a little bell ringing.
Ovcharenko, born into a family of teachers in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in 2001, has already had an impressive international career despite his young age. He has taken home numerous prizes at prestigious piano competitions, including first prize at the Prix du Piano in Bern, and performs in some of the world’s finest concert halls. His playing has been described by critics, including the industry magazine International Piano, as "technically flawless and musically impeccable."
Text: Anastassia Boutsko
© 2025 Kissinger Sommer
Watch more great concerts here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
More famous piano recitals here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBU7k2TJgrgNCc9aygnNkaGZ
And more music from the Romatic era here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBUCHNKKxIIM88sntDk1TVih
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#liszt #pianorecital #romanticeramusic
