Liszt: Sonata in B Minor / Rhapsodie Espagnole

Featuring

Arnaldo Cohen
Franz Liszt

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Composer Biography

Franz Liszt, the composer, was considered a "born revolutionary" and showed great sympathy for revolutionary movements and social justice, particularly in his youth.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Liszt believed artists should "bolster the courage of the weak and to moderate the sorrows of the oppressed," rather than glorifying the rich.

Performer Biography

Arnaldo Cohen, the pianist on this recording, began his musical studies at age five and also worked as a professional violinist in the Rio de Janeiro Opera House Orchestra while studying engineering.

Composition History

Liszt dedicated his work 'Funérailles' from the 'Harmonies poétiques et religieuses' to the victims of the European revolutionary years of 1848/49.

Critical Reception

The B minor Sonata was initially controversial, with critic Eduard Hanslick calling it a "chaotic mania" and a "bloody struggle against everything that is musical."

Performer Biography

Arnaldo Cohen won first prize in the 1972 Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy.

Compositional Technique

Liszt's B minor Sonata is a single-movement work that avoids traditional three- or four-movement forms, presenting a complex structure where sonata form and sonata cycle overlap.