Hans von B low (1830-1894) is a towering figure of late 19th-century music. In his early years, he was crucial to championing Franz Liszt's instrumental works. He would also conduct the premi res of Richard Wagner's musical dramas Tristan and Isolde and The Mastersingers and become the first to perform all five of Ludwig van Beethoven's late piano sonatas in one recital. In 1869, after breaking away from Wagner, B low became one of the most important...