 As a pianist , Bizet had showed considerable skill from his earliest years . A contemporary asserted that he could have assured a future on the concert platform , but chose to conceal his talent " as though it were a vice " . In May 1861 Bizet gave a rare demonstration of his virtuoso skills when , at a dinner party at which Liszt was present , he astonished everyone by playing on sight , flawlessly , one of the maestro 's most difficult pieces . Liszt commented : " I thought there were only two men able to surmount the difficulties ... there are three , and ... the youngest is perhaps the boldest and most brilliant . " 
