Lisztomania (film) Lisztomania (film) Lisztomania is a 1975 film by Ken Russell about the nineteenth century composer Franz Liszt. The screenplay is derived, in part, from a "kiss-and-tell" book, "Nélida" by Marie d'Agoult (1848), about her affair with Liszt. Depicting the flamboyant Liszt as the first classical pop star, "Lisztomania" features contemporary rock star Roger Daltrey (of The Who) as Franz Liszt. The film was released the same year as "Tommy", which also starred Daltrey and was directed by Russell. Rick Wakeman, from the progressive rock band Yes, composed the "Lisztomania" soundtrack, which included synthesiser arrangements of works by Liszt and Wagner.
Lisztomania a much stronger term in the 1840s, whereas in the 20th century "mania" could refer to something as mild as a new fashion craze. Lisztomania was considered by some a genuine contagious medical condition and critics recommended measures to immunize the public. Some critics of the day thought that Lisztomania, or "Liszt fever" as it was sometimes called, was mainly a reflection of the attitudes of Berliners and Northern Germans and that Southern German cities would not have such episodes of Lisztomania because of the difference in constitutions of the populace. As one report stated in a Munich paper in