Lisztomania

Pianist Franz Liszt is treated like a rock star by his adoring fans, many young females who willingly throw themselves at him, he, in return in his hedonism, often indulging his and their sexual proclivities in the process. One such fan was his wife, Marie, whose, at the time of her and Liszt's meeting, wealthy husband, Count d'Agoult, hired him solely to give bored Marie piano lessons. While he plays the music of well known and successful composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, and purchases the music of aspiring composers, such as Richard Wagner - Liszt's bastardization of Wagner's compositions while performing in concert not sitting well with him - Liszt himself aspires to be a great composer. It is his relationship with another of his wealthy fans, married Princess Carolyn of Russia, which tests how much Liszt is willing to give up in his life to achieve that greatness as a composer. Meanwhile, Wagner becomes a more integral part of Liszt's life out of circumstance as Wagner's life takes a more political turn.