Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 08/20/2014, uploaded on 08/20/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Considered to be Liszt’s greatest composition for the piano, the colossal Sonata in B minor was also a rare large-scale example of absolute music among the otherwise programmatic works of the rest of his oeuvre. Some scholars have attempted to assign such a programme to the work, such as the Faust legend (which Liszt was particularly attracted to) or even an autobiographical one. Yet, such fantasies are nothing more than speculation, affirming Eduard Hanslick’s idea that the language of music is not specific enough to effectively convey programmatic elements, and even more so without direction from the composer himself.

The Sonata is furthermore an extremely rare example of Liszt’s use of sonata form, a symbol of the Classical tradition which he no doubt revered though he, and others of the New German School, purposefully distanced themselves from. Only two other works in Liszt’s output can be said to be in sonata form—the Faust and Dante Symphonies. However, the sonata form of the B minor Sonata is reinterpreted in a unique way and has long been the subject of debate and analysis. An expansive design, eloquently demonstrating the great expanses the form is capable of containing, Liszt superimposes his sonata form onto the four-movement design of a traditional sonata, with each movement more or less aligning themselves with the particular divisions of the sonata form. The first movement, corresponding to the exposition, announces the basic motives of the entire piece. These motives are transformed and developed throughout the two middle movements. During this development, Liszt even indulges in a fugal treatment of one of the themes in the Scherzo third movement, an academic practice that seems quite foreign to the nature of his music. Finally, the motives are recapitulated in the last movement.

Completed in 1853, but begun as early as 1849, the Sonata in B minor received a rather cool reception. Obviously, it won the whole-hearted approval of like-minded composers such as Richard Wagner. However, it was attacked by such stalwarts of absolute music as Eduard Hanslick, Johannes Brahms, and Anton Rubenstein, despite the work’s attempt to “reach across the aisle” as it were. The Sonata’s technical demands also hampered its acceptance. Nevertheless, by the early part of the 20^th century, Liszt’s Sonata had gained wide acceptance and became established as one of his greatest composition.     Joseph DuBose

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Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178            Franz L iszt

Completed in 1853 and published in the following year, Liszt dedicated this sonata to Robert Schumann in gratitude for Schumann’s dedication of his Fantasy in C Major to Liszt 15 years before.  Richard Wagner wrote to the composer after hearing the performance: “Dearest Franz, you were with me, the sonata is beautiful beyond compare; great, sweet, deep and noble, sublime as you are yourself.” 

Possessing a much broader range than Beethoven’s 32 variations, Liszt’s experiment in form in this B minor sonata was exceptional. Alan Walker, an eminent Liszt scholar and biographer, has written: “Not only are its four movements rolled into one, but they are themselves composed against a background of a full-scale sonata scheme – exposition, development, and recapitulation. That is, Liszt has composed a sonata across a sonata… the material is constantly making contributions to two sonata forms simultaneously.”

Perhaps if Beethoven had lived longer, he would have eventually fused all elements of sonata form into a one-movement plan. Claudio Arrau once called this B minor sonata of Liszt, “Beethoven’s 33^rd sonata”.     Yue Chu

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.