Ucbasaran - 1847: Liszt in Istanbul

In 1847 Franz Liszt visited Istanbul (then Constantinople) and performed several recitals on an Erard piano specially shipped for him to play. He spent a month there and gave several concerts including two in the Sultan�s palace. He was f�ted and praised highly; at that time the city was a hub of Western culture and a frequent destination of Italian and French opera companies, so Liszt�s operatic transcriptions found a receptive audience.