Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S 124, is an early example of a one-movement form, where all themes are related and sections flow into one another without a break.
Compositional Technique
Liszt's 'Totentanz' (Dance of the Dead), S 126, is based on the 13th-century 'Dies Irae' sequence, a motif also used by composers like Berlioz, Rachmaninov, and Brahms.
Composition History
Liszt worked on his Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S 125, on and off for over twenty years, with documented phases of work spanning from 1839 to 1861.
Notable Performances
The premiere of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S 124, featured Liszt himself as the soloist and was conducted by Hector Berlioz, a renowned French composer.
Composition History
Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S 124, had its first sketches in 1830, but was only premiered on February 17, 1855, after more than two decades of development and revisions.
Cultural Impact
Béla Bartók, a Hungarian composer, admired the power of Liszt's 'Totentanz' and adopted its percussive piano techniques in his own works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Liszt intended the opening of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S 124, to be heard with the words 'None of you understands this - ha-ha!' as a gesture of defiance towards his critics.
