Liszt Sonatas

[dtox]

Hi,
I'm looking for Liszt Piano Sonatas, but i can't find them on the web...

I really need your suggestions

Thanks

[ilikepie]

Did he write more than one?

[dtox]

I don't know...
I just want to play something composed by Liszt...
And a friend recommended me that work...

[ilikepie]

=_= If you don't know Liszt's sonata, then I suggest you keep away from it for a few decades x_x... This is a friendly warning =)

[dtox]

thanks

[ilikepie]

While you're at it, you could hit him with a plastic baseball bat. =\
Hungarian Rhapsodies are easier so you could try one of those( I recommend 6,9,10,11,12,13,15)

[cloches_de_geneve]

I recommend 6,9,10,11,12,13,15)

Why not 14?

[ultraviolet]

FYI Liszt  wrote lots of sonatas--the one in B minor and then the Dante sonatas, not to mention all the transcriptions of symphonies, which, when played on piano, ought to be considered sonatas because of their form and overall idioms.

Personally, I think you should just play the B minor sonata.  If you want to get to know liszt, it's the only thing he ever did that's worth playing.  If you can't play it up to tempo, who cares, at least you're not playing trash.  Everything else he did was just the work of a ripoff artist.

[rallestar]

The Dante is not a sonata - It's a quasi sonata. And transcriptions of symphonies are per definition not sonatas - They're transcriptions of symphonies.

And besides, I am very very certain that one who does not know the Liszt Sonata is not ready to handle it. Not at a slow tempo either.

[mikey6]

FYI Liszt  wrote lots of sonatas--the one in B minor and then the Dante sonatas, not to mention all the transcriptions of symphonies, which, when played on piano, ought to be considered sonatas because of their form and overall idioms.

Personally, I think you should just play the B minor sonata.  If you want to get to know liszt, it's the only thing he ever did that's worth playing.  If you can't play it up to tempo, who cares, at least you're not playing trash.  Everything else he did was just the work of a ripoff artist.

ergh, exactly how does transcribing a symphony classify the transcriber as the composer?
ahm, a symphony is not a sonata, it is a symphony which may or may not incorporate sonata form.
hmm, exactly how much of Liszt's output do you know? agreed, there is some less than top quality stuff, but there are certainly more works than the sonata that can hold their own.
ripoff artist? exactly who could write for the piano like him before he came along? who had his harmonic innovations in the late works? get your facts straight at least if you're gonna can someone!

[walking_encyclopedia]

FYI Liszt  wrote lots of sonatas--the one in B minor and then the Dante sonatas, not to mention all the transcriptions of symphonies, which, when played on piano, ought to be considered sonatas because of their form and overall idioms.

FYI Liszt wrote one sonata, as a previous post stated, the Dante sonatas and the Sonatas del Petarca are not sonatas in the sense of the word. And, no, a symphony does not equal a sonata when transcribed for piano. Hello. From this we're supposed to derive that your next statement comes from a valid point of view 

Personally, I think you should just play the B minor sonata.  If you want to get to know liszt, it's the only thing he ever did that's worth playing.  If you can't play it up to tempo, who cares, at least you're not playing trash.  Everything else he did was just the work of a ripoff artist.

Am I supposed to think you have any idea what you're talking about? Have you ever studied Liszt? All the Hungarian Rhapsodies, the two piano concerti, the deeply musical Anees de Pelerinage and Harmoniques Poetiques et Religiouses, all 'trash'? Oh thanks for enlightening all of us, ultraviolet. 

[cloches_de_geneve]

Personally, I think you should just play the B minor sonata.  If you want to get to know liszt, it's the only thing he ever did that's worth playing.  If you can't play it up to tempo, who cares, at least you're not playing trash.  Everything else he did was just the work of a ripoff artist.

Sorry ... but is there an annual award for the most nonsensical comment on the forum?

If so, I suggest this one should be a top nominee.

First of all, Liszt wrote one Sonata -- the Dante qualifies more as a Fantasy. To say his transcriptions of symphonies are sonatas is self-evidently nonsense.

More, saying that the Liszt sonata is the only non-ripoff, valuable thing he ever wrote testifies to a gigantic ignorance. This is the composer of ballade nr.2, Vallée d'Obermann, the two legends, of Funérailles and other meditative or religious/extatic pieces from the harmonies poétiques and religieuses such as Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, Andante lacrimoso and Cantique d'Amour, of the Petrarca Sonetts, Consolations, Elegies, of the variations to Bachs "Weinen, Klagen Sorgen, Zagen", of curious, near-atonal music such as Cypres à la Villa d'Este, Gondole lugubri, Nuages Gris or the Bagatelle sans tonalité, and many other pieces documenting that Liszt is a "ripoff-artist" only to those with an extremely superficial knowledge of his music. Besides, he revolutionized piano playing, he anticipated Wagner and a lot of 20th century music. Last, he was the author of countless orchestral pieces and much vocal music inclding songs and religious masses. If there was a list of the top-ten classical composers, he ought to be in there by practically any standard.

So, yes indeed, if there is an award, congrats, because it is really yours!

[pita bread]

Sonatas del Petarca

Sonnets, not sonatas.

[maxreger]

People need to listen to more than just the piano music of Liszt...

Via Crucis
St Stanislaus
Christus  Oratorio
Missa Choralis


Not to mention the Faust Symphony and his more commonly known works (dante symphony, the symphonic poems, etc)... these are all amazing pieces of music that often get overlooked... I really love alot of Christus (the tristis est anima mea, and the stabat mater dolorosa are simply amazing...) As well as all of Missa Choralis, what a beautiful work... the via crucis so forward looking!

The organ works as well...

....

Not to mention all the piano works (sure some are worst then others, but his BEST music is really without reproach.)

[soliloquy]

Yeah I agree with Max.  His Symphonic Poems are surprisingly good, especially compared to some of his other orchestral music that isn't all that well voiced and sort of forced.


Randomly as a point of interest Liszt actually invented the Symphonic Poem.

[sjskb]

i'm polishing that up now for a concert in Jan...

though we are all meant to be encouraging people.... i do tend to agree with ilikepie, which is, it's better not to touch the work unless you are of a certain level in both piano as well as knowledge.

The difficulty of the work (other than the obvious technical stuff), lies in maintaining interest for the listener.... imagine playing more than 25 mins without stop. A less-than knowledgable audience would have fallen asleep 10 min into the work.

To perform the b minor well also requires analytical skills which can only come after years of playing and studying. or else the whole piece would just be a bash-through without thought!! i find the sonata a really religious one, containing imagery of god, angels and conflict between good and evil....

i hope i am not offending anyone here... these are just my personal thoughts of the piece.... could we also get back to discussing the b minor sonata rather than arguing over what constitutes as a high quality piece, or whether liszt's other works are worth checking out. (i think the answer is kinda obvious  )

[JP]

FYI Liszt  wrote lots of sonatas--the one in B minor and then the Dante sonatas, not to mention all the transcriptions of symphonies, which, when played on piano, ought to be considered sonatas because of their form and overall idioms.

Personally, I think you should just play the B minor sonata.  If you want to get to know liszt, it's the only thing he ever did that's worth playing.  If you can't play it up to tempo, who cares, at least you're not playing trash.  Everything else he did was just the work of a ripoff artist.

Congrats.

You have lost all credibility.

[soliloquy]

Congrats.

You have lost all credibility.

You have to have something before you can lose it.

[prongated]

i hope i am not offending anyone here...

...essentially you (and some others here) are right. This is a rather mature work and is not for 'little' kids...

Watched an 18-year old play this, Beethoven Tempest 1st movt. and Balakirev Islamey recently. Balakirev and Beethoven were quite good, but the Liszt was completely out of depth.