Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor; Ballades & Polonaises

Featuring

Stephen Hough
Franz Liszt

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Cultural Impact

Liszt's frenzied adulation during his concert tours led Heinrich Heine to coin the term 'Lisztomania' in 1841.

Composer Biography

Franz Liszt's life spanned the 19th century, from the time of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto to the early years of Stravinsky.

Composition History

Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor, considered his greatest piano work, was fully worked out in late 1852 and early 1853, and dedicated to Robert Schumann.

Compositional Technique

The Piano Sonata in B minor is built on a small number of thematic cells that are elaborated, transformed, and juxtaposed to create both melodic shapes and structural organization.

Composer Biography

Between 1839 and 1847, Liszt undertook what was arguably the most spectacular concert tour in history, performing to packed houses of three thousand or more across Europe.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Liszt believed that 'new wine demands new bottles,' reflecting his need to create new formal structures to accommodate his musical arguments and thematic metamorphosis.

Composition History

In September 1847, Liszt abruptly stopped his touring career and moved to Weimar to take up a conducting post, rarely playing piano in public or for a fee again.