Liszt: Piano Works

Featuring

Lucille Chung
Franz Liszt

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Composition History

Liszt dedicated his Sonata in B Minor to Robert Schumann as a reciprocal gesture after Schumann dedicated his Phantasie, Op. 17, to Liszt.

Compositional Technique

Liszt's transformative development of piano technique, through his performance, composition, and pedagogy, is considered his greatest and most lasting contribution.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Liszt's music connects to the past while also developing a new individual voice, inspired by a wide range of attributes from pagan folk to deeply religious music.

Critical Reception

Liszt's Sonata in B Minor was initially met with indifference and harsh criticism, with Berlin's Nationalzeitung deriding it as 'an invitation to hissing and stamping' after its premiere.

Performer Biography

Pianist Lucille Chung was one of Lazar Berman's first female students; Berman was regarded as his generation's ultimate Liszt interpreter.

Composer Biography

Franz Liszt was considered the 19th-century equivalent of a rock star, known for his piano skills and ability to navigate all social circles.

Composer Biography

Liszt's extraordinary piano facility was partly due to his unique physical advantages, including long, narrow hands that lacked webbing between the fingers, allowing him to stretch a tenth with ease.