Romantic Era

Franz Liszt 1811-1886

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian Piano Virtuoso during the Late Romantic Era. I listened to Horowitz Plays Liszt. My favorite piece was “Piano Sonata in B minor”. The beginning is very dramatic as it starts out slow then jumps into music with loud piano keys crashing down. Not quite halfway through the first part in the Allegro energico, the drama ceases into what I view as a stroll across the pond. Very soft notes on the piano are played with much of the moving up down across the keys. The range begins to pick up around the halfway point, but the music is still calmer than the opening. At one point, it sounds like fairies are flying around. Then the drama picks back up in a dramatic fashion. The second part Andante sostenuto, starts out calm then gets dramatic for a few minutes but afterwards it stays relatively calm. It amazes me how a pianist can play those notes on a piano, the sound is so complex and fast. The complexity can be heard in throughout the third part, Allegro energico (fugato). The music is beautiful and amazing at the same time. I don’t know how Horowitz fingers did not fall off playing this piece!