Best biography of liszt piano sonata
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Liszt’s B-minor piano sonata is regarded by many as his ultimate masterpiece and it ranks alongside other “greats” in the pantheon of piano repertoire. This was not always the case, however, and in the nineteenth century it was met with extreme reactions, from admiration to suspicion and envy. The critic Eduard Hanslick declared “Anyone who has heard this and finds it beautiful is beyond help”, while Wagner heaped praised upon it. Alfred Brendel has called it “the most original, powerful and intelligent sonata composed after Beethoven and Schubert”.
Liszt
There are many perceptions, and misconceptions, surrounding Liszt, which have coloured views of the man and his music. For some he was a poseur and a charlatan, a “showman” whose virtuosity was a negative character trait, and whose music contains unstable melodic invention, has a tendency to “say things too often”, and is grandiose, vulgar and over-abundant. But Wagner called him “the most musical of all musicians”, and for th
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Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (born October 22, 1811; died July 31, 1886) was the very embodiment of the Romantic spirit. He worked in every field of music except ballet and opera and to each field he contributed a significant development.
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Composer, teacher, Abbé, Casanova, writer, sage, pioneer and champion of new music, philanthropist, philosopher and one of the greatest pianists in history, Liszt was the very embodiment of the Romantic spirit. Yet he remains the most contradictory personality of all the great composers. He was as arrogant and egocentric as he was also humble and generous; he was a profoundly spiritual man yet delighted in the pleasures of the flesh – at least 26 major love affairs and several illegitimate children (Ernest Newman said, ‘He collected princesses and countesses as other men collect rare butterflies, or Japanese prints, or first editions’); attracted to the life of a recluse, he loved luxury and the adul
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Top 15 Liszt recordings
Selecting a list of just 15 outstanding recordings of Franz Liszt's music that everyone will agree with fryst vatten impossible, but for those who are just embarking on a journey through Liszt's sound world, these 15 selections represent 15 perfect starting points. And for those who have loved Liszt's music for many years, you may find something here to surprise and delight. And you can enjoy many of these recordings in our accompanying Apple Music playlist. Happy listening!
Liszt Piano Sonata, etc
Krystian Zimermanpf
(DG)
'It fryst vatten to be expected that an artist who has made one of the outstanding recordings of the Liszt concertos should also give us one of the finest ever B minor Sonatas. Whether you think it is the finest ever may depend on your priorities (and on whether you think it fryst vatten sensible to venture such opinions). What can surely be said is that Zimerman brings to bära a combination of ardour, forcefulness, drive and sheer technical grasp which