Today, I found myself falling slowly out of love with music. I’m an undergrad and after a long hard semester of 19 credits (most of which were music)- I found it hard to keep music truly magical without stressing over it. I never thought it would be possible for me to not love music, but I noticed it happening. I saw a snippet of this piece that caught my eye and I decided to listen to it in its entirety. This brought me a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time- and made me fall in love with music again. Made me remember why it’s been important to me to begin with. Thank you, Liszt.
I am so pleased to hear that about your experience and that this marvelous work help bring you back to how the reason music can touch something in us and change us into something we are more of than we were before. A wordless message with that, at times, we can identify and can truly connect to our deepest self. Keep discovering what music can and will do for the human spirit.
This sonata is about contrasts. In this 15:35 section, liszt builds the most brilliant transition ever written. From hell to heaven, from black to white, from voracious anger to the most serene and beautiful feeling. The emotional range that liszt achieves in about 20 seconds is completly outstanding.
On this note I would also like to point out 8:11 - how he manages to go from a showcase of pure energy and virtuosity and then to a beautiful, ethereal section in the span of 10 seconds is beyond me
I love all the classical piano sonatas, But this masterpiece is above almost all of them. it’s diabolic as Prokofiev’s, glittering as Chopin’s, logical as Beethoven's, and sophistic as Rachmaninoff’s. This piece represents the highest beauty of romantic period music. I sincerely worship and admire Liszt.
This sonata is almost cathartic. During the last few chords, you can almost feel as though you are ascending into the clouds. I think I cried the first time I heard this piece years ago. It is capable of making time stop. We are so lucky to be able to appreciate this.
I'm convinced this is the most accomplished, utterly unblemished performance of any Liszt piece, never mind this Sonata. It is absolutely extraordinary. Zimerman is a cut above.
I have a healthy level of self-confidence / delusion about tackling hard pieces after hearing great performances, but this recording straight up makes me want to quit
The only one that compares IMO is the relatively unknown recording by the Canadian Andre Laplante. I actually don't have a favorite between Zimerman and Laplante; they're both absolutely top tier.
More like Zimerman: I hummed. Engineer: No it was perfect, absolutely amazing! Zimerman: NO, I hummed at the end! Engineer: It's not audible. Zimerman *draws a polish cavalry saber*: This is not up for discussion Engineer: Sigh.. take 76
Hearing this interpretation makes me think this could be the greatest piece ever written for the piano. It's such a joy to listen along with the score and simply marvel at the pianism and playing, the sheer genius and ingeniousness of both. Zimerman has the perfect balance of finger work, power, passion, delicacy, philosophy...it's mind-blowing in every sense!
Its even better becuase it's a culmination of a strugle between themes, Andante sostenuto and Grandioso themes vs 3 themes that start the piece. I find the moment before it very heartbreaking, the way Grandioso theme tries to break out, but fails under the first 3 "evil" themes, but eventually wins and blooms in recap of Andante theme.
Theres always someone in the comments that has to put a part far into the music they enjoy then for the rest of the video you are anxiously waiting for that part.
I'm glad someone else noted it too that practically all of his studio recordings are exceptionally high quality and rich in balanced sounds. I have not enough words for Krystian Zimerman's playing. His art, dedication and understanding of the piece he is playing are astounding. My most favourite Zimerman's piano recordings: a Deutsche Grammophon 1991 CD with 5 great piano pieces of Liszt (including Sonata in B minor), Claude Debussy: Preludes, Book 1 & 2 and of course several Frederic Chopin's pieces by Zimerman.
If you like Romantic style fugues, you might also enjoy the fugue at the end of the Brahms Handel Variations. It's one of my favorite fugues and is very Romantic in style.
To add to what SuperThalberg has said, I would recommend the fugue at the end of Godowsky's Pasacaglia, found here: ruclips.net/video/f0nlJXooIVc/видео.html (Starts at around 15:21)
Of all of the recordings of this available, Zimerman nails it. Nothing I have heard by any other pianist compares to this recording. It is my favourite.
Yes, pretty spectacular. In general I find this piece difficult to listen to in its entirety but there are elements of it that are amazing in themselves.
The only recording i will care to listen to of this piece. I won’t bother giving anyone else a try. I’m a pianist and this perfection is hard to come by. Nothing else will possible do. No other recording could possibly satisfy me like this surely? The greatest recording of music I have ever heard. The only piece that lets out my true emotions and Zimerman truly helps with that. God Bless music.
Simply the best performance ever heard. The most complete too...the virtuosism is not wild, there's a conscious choice of the tempi even in the most difficult passages and not just "as fast as possibile", the sonority range from pp to ff is astonishing, the quality of sound magic.The line of the Sonata never get lost, the taste is impeccable, always simple, nothing artificial or "recherché". Somebody could tell me that this or that pianist plays better this or that passage, but this remains the best Liszt's b minor Sonata I've ever heard.
I've listened to this piece played by many other pianists, and I never liked it. Until now, that is. This is the first time I truly saw what it was about. I didn't know this sonata could be so beautiful! Now I'm in love with it!
I have been trying to like this sonata for 40 years. And now finally was able to enjoy thoroughly (and in new ways!) this piece. No screaming and yelling, no annoying histrionics, no crazy speed-octave etude sections, yet all of the fullness of sonority and weight of real emotion and musicality. I especially like the steadiness of tempi, determined by the musical flow instead of the performer's flying through sections to show off what he is good at and then slowing down under the grinding weight of the sections difficult to him (everyone?). For me, it took a performance like this to elevate this to full membership in the great sonata pantheon. Thank you, RUclips and KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN!
I was trying to listen this as background music, but this is just too beautiful, too captivating. This monument requires all your attention. It compells you, binds you, subjugates you.
💥 Clara Schumann said in one letter that "She despises Liszt from the bottom of her heart"... And when she was desperate for money to survival, after Schuman's death, Liszt was the salvation, he got many concerts for her, over Europe. The grandiosity of Liszt as a human being and as a composer is beyond words. He helped so many people in his long life, and after retiring from concerts, at 35 years old, never earn money from lessons. He tried to help any pianist who sought for him in Altenburg. Wagner said in one letter that he owns Liszt his music, and Liszt's Orpheus was Wagner inspiration for several works. We can't compare Liszt's character with the rest. 🎉❤❤❤
I was just casually listening and suddenly at around 26:18 I realized what a mind he must have been to compose something that utterly complex and at the same time beautiful. What a nice place the world is to live on, when you possess the ability to enjoy such a masterpiece and let your mind flow accros dimensions.
Unlike a lot of pianists, I love how Zimmerman doesn't take too many liberties, especially with the rests. He actually plays what the composer wrote. And Liszt knew best, of course.
Eine Interpretation, die keine Wünsche offenlässt: der Lisztsche Bombast, die unglaubliche Klarheit vieler Passagen, die rythmische Genauigkeit, die es auch dem Hörer ohne Noten erlaubt, 'auf dem Teppich' zu bleiben, die überlegene 'architektonische' Gestaltung, die zelebrierte Naivität der sanften Abschnitte - alles wunderbar gelungen! Hut ab vor Krystian Zimerman!
Theres always someone in the comments that has to put a part far into the music they enjoy then for the rest of the video you are anxiously waiting for that part.
I've listened to S.178 for years, pretty much all the recordings by renowned pianists. This recording by Zimerman is THE BEST. Besides this rendition, I would also recommend Arrau's (in the 70s i recall), Kissin, Ashenazy and Yuja's studio version. Zimerman's version strikes me the most because I agree with every single detail that he's playing - the tempo, the change of tempo, the cathartic emotion at the end, his interpretation convinced me and moved me every where. Every time when it comes to 25:50, starting from there, my eyes would become misty. It's like listening to an old man, lying on his dying bed, telling his life story with so many ups and downs and twists, and it's approaching his lifetime climax, his glory and biggest victory in his reminiscence (looking back in our lives, we all do, don't we? ). It's like watching an extraordinary firework slowly rising up into the night sky and presents to you the most colorful explosion that would blow your mind - yet right after it fades away, the night is still dark and all you have is a wonderful memory, and a sense of emptiness and loneliness. It's spectacular yet heartbreaking at the same time. That's my feeling listening to Zimerman's work, or that's my feeling of Liszt's work and Zimerman's rendition intensified my feeling and we are having a resonance.
the best sonata ever, in my opinion. It' s really beautiful how Liszt transformed the thems like this: 1:41 to 5:44 or 1:06 to 6:34. 14:32, 15:11 those passages are so dramatically beautiful, 15:40 one of the most beautiful transition ever, 19:47 this fugato is genial, 3:34 is beautiful how Liszt did that trasition to 3:41 this beautiful theme. Beautiful sonata❤️.
15:40 gives me goosebumps. I assumed Lizst was just a flashy composer until I saw this and his Leibestraume. How wrong I was. Lizst can compose some truly beautiful music.
Alexander Alekhine The strings made some sort of meowing noise, so the op said that the piano meowed like a cat as if it were happy to be played by Zimmerman, I guess.
I always see the return of the Lento assai theme at 18:53 as some sort of "plot twist". Like it was all so heavenly (in F# Major, Liszt's go-to when writing heavenly stuff), then all of a sudden that section appears. Makes the hair at the back of my neck stand every time.
Except it shouldn't be played in the same tempo as in the beginning. Liszt didn't write "Lento assai" therefore it should be played in the same tempo as the entire middle section, i.e. Andante sostenuto It's the only thing that bothers me about this performance (and nearly every performance of this piece, for that matter). In fairness, it's a trap that's very easy to fall into, because it's obviously a reference to the opening. But it's not the only one, far from it (see 3:02 and 21:49). So why 18:47 in particular should benefit from a change in tempo? The reference to the beginning is clear enough, it doesn't need that change of tempo But I have to admit that the effect is really stupendous. To me this passage feels like seeing your own footsteps on the ground and realizing you've been running in circles since the beginning
I think too. I also appreciate Lugansky, who's today one of the best pianists, I think. Ashkenazy too ! But, I agree, Zimerman has always been a true genius...
In my opinion, simply the most fantastic, brilliant piece written in history, full stop. Nothing comes close. Sublime in some parts, desperate and grasping for air in others. I don’t have any words. I mean, check 15:35 to the F# major resolution and 26:03 - just some of many brilliant moments. Wow, Franz Liszt was a genius.
МСС(Ц)МШ имени Гнесиных представляет: Экспозиция Вступление - 0:04 ГП1 - 0:54 ГП2 - 1:49 ПП1 - 03:43 ПП2 - 05:45 ЗП - 07:49 Разработка I р - 10:03 III р - 12:19 IV р фугатто - 19:40 Кода - 28:15
How could anyone write such a beautiful, mysterious, macabre, and frightening piece in their full lifetime? And how could anyone even think to play such a monster of a masterpiece? This is one of the most incredible recordings of anything on RUclips ever, so thank you Zimerman for trying 76 times to make this perfection, and thank you AXK for posting this with a perfect slideshow of music!
@@YG-us6tl I believe Scriabin is probably on my way of becoming my favorite composer, I can relate to some of his style so much. I really love his third sonata, might be my favorite Sonata actually. His music can be so dark like Liszt, yet doesn't sound much like Liszt, I found Chopin and Rachmaninov to be the most similar to him, though they're still a bit far. He has great works, and is underrated imo. I do love every single composer I mentioned in this comment, and would add Prokofiev alongside.
This has never been a favorite piece of mine-until now. This version prefers depth to mere show, and finds poetry in the percussion of cascading octaves as well as in the tender, tentative cadenzas where one note spills out at a time. Zimerman plays in time when playing in time makes sense, and he plays tempo rubato, even extremely, when a breath makes all the sense in the world. He made me hear more of the motivic development than I'd ever heard before, which makes the entire sonata sound intricately constructed rather than reeled off in a fit of passion with the hope of wringing every last drop, quite randomly, out of meager materials. Something profoundly sincere comes through in this version; the sonata no longer seems like a high-minded trick. Zimerman has somehow gone beyond the notes, and what might otherwise seem melodramatic in them, to find something genuine, vast, and spiritual. I hope other people enjoy it as much as I did.
+Marc Vincenti Such a powerful piece! "Sonata" is almost a misnomer - more of a symphonic poem for the piano. I have come around to Liszt, as you did, thanks to great performers who have allowed the music to shine through above all, despite the highest standards of technical difficulty. Zimerman is one. Another one that really blew me away and helped me warm up to Liszt was Lazar Berman's recording of the Transcendental Etudes. I really can't say what make me curious about Liszt again, but I'm so glad I gave it another chance.
+Paul Mayer Spot on. Lazar Berman's Transcendental Studies are the seminal recordings of the work in my opinion. I'm always surprised that they are not more well known. His Mazeppa is frightening in it's raw power. Feux Follets is the most humerous recording out there. And Chasse Niege is simply incredible. I would have to give No. 10 to Cziffra, but as a complete set, Berman's is the best.
The most shocking thing about some Liszt's pieces is that they don't really belong to the romantic period, like if they were written in 20th century, BUT THEY WEREN'T! I always admired Liszt for his progressive way of composing, I mean, how brave he must be to compose like that! For the same reasons I'm really excited about Musorgsky and Scriabin also
Since discovering this a few days ago, I cannot stop listening to this all day. It is the only thing I've listened to for about 4 days now. With every listen, I discover something new.
00:10 вст. "надтема" g 00:54 ГП 1 ел. "фаустіанський" h 01:06 ГП 2 ел. "мефістофельський" h 03:42 ПП 1 т. "тема самоствердження" D 05:44 ПП 2 т. "тема Маргарити" D 09:01 ЗП h 09:42 РБ, початок 12:19 ЕП ГП Fis 13:18 ЕП ПП А (образ Маргарити) 14:20 ЕП ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") Fis 19:38 фугато (тема ГП) b 21:20 РП ГП h 22:59 РП ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") H 26:23 КД ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") H 28:14 КД ГП H
Entire 30min is exciting. This is one of those maybe i will give myself 30 years to learn inspiration piece. Super intense, yet delicate. I could listen to this daily.
liceous Yeah, I noticed that as well - and in MANY other places as well. I find it ironic that he did 76 takes to find one he was okay with for the finalized recording, yet chose one with such audible humming haha! Then again... things like that are the purview of the recording engineer(s) to take care of, I suppose. As much as the humming sticks out ("once you hear it, you can't un-hear it" kind of situation), I found it never really bothered me. Just made it seem somehow all the more real and tangible, I suppose. I guess I'm more surprised that there aren't a ton of people trashing the recording over it; a lot of Glenn Gould recordings get crap over him doing it, yet it was something he was well known for. Ah well. I'll stop rambling haha. Back to the wonderful music.
liceous Zimmerman hums the melody all the time. His fans seem to enjoy it. In his RUclips recordings of Chopin ballade 2,3 and 4 there is really audible humming as well
@@p-y8210 Yeah, you definitely have a point there! I went and listened to some Gould after having made the above comments and it hit me just how big a difference there was. He REALLY gets into the humming.
This is heaven itself, and I cannot express what it made me feel. I truly am blown away by the immense depth I feel, to the welling of emotions I haven't felt since I was a child. What wonders music bring, and Liszt I thank you for this thing so much greater than a masterpiece.
Dear Ashish! Thank you for sharing this recording together with the sheet music. The Sonata is my favourite piece of music and Zimerman's recording has been my favourite take of it ever since I first heard it a dozen or so years ago. The Sonata offers a lot of different possibilities of interpretation which can all be equally "valid" - I think it is one of the most versatile pieces in the piano literature - but for me Zimerman is absolutely spotless here. Every note, every dymanic, every tempo, every rubato, every cantabile - I can't think of a single thing I would want to change about this recording. The final page of the music is one of the most magical moments music can offer - the tritone cadence is indeed a fantastic touch, but the whole page belongs to a select few musical gems that - in the words of Stravinsky - "will always be contemporary." If I can recommend a similarly rewarding album to the one containing the present recording I would like to point you in the direction of Arnaldo Cohen's Liszt album with the solo version of Totentanz: everything on that disc is pure magic. Best!
Zimerman's touch is so perfect. There are so few notes that fall outside of dynamic range in every series of notes, and you hear them all - none lost, and none pedaled out. That is so difficult to do. It's one thing to hit the right notes every time but to grade them all perfectly as well is very difficult. I am sure that is where the 78 takes come from; he just can't stand anything out of place, which goes along with his craftman's relationship with his pianos. I heard so many new things in the sonata when I heard this performance. I think Liszt would have loved this guy (I wonder if he really appreciated Paderewski that much - amateur bullshit merchant by comparison with Zimerman). I think it should be said that Yuja has grown incredibly both technically and in her depth. I dare say a current performance by her (in 2017) would also be quite impressive, but not quite at this level. Oh, sure Cziffra was incredible, and his virtuosity also stunning, but he had nothing like the dynamic control and technical precision of this guy, and Cziffra's light touch was not the best, and sometimes his interpretations were quirky, in a Lang Lang kind of a way, though less so. And now I'm off to listen to Pogorelich's version. As somebody said, he also is extraordinary.
For me Franz Liszt's Sonata in b-minor is like an Epic Adventure. The Emotions, Colors, etc... It is just great! And the Ending is a bit sad because it is like the Adventure is Ending.
(This is only a prototype, I am not a musicologist, and I would appreciate anyone helping me out with this analysis. Also english is not my first language so it might not be written correctly) MVT I (Exposition): 0:00 [m. 1-7] - Theme 1. Low stacatto octaves, then downards legato scale, with varying accidentals. First scale is C Harmonic Minor, then a G Hungarian Minor scale. 0:52 [m. 8-13] - Theme 2. Jagged octaves, B Min. Consisting of 2 motifs, (A) in [m. 9 & 11] and (B) in [m. 10 & 12], a diminished seventh descending arpeggio 1:06 [m. 13-17] - Theme 3. Hammering marcato motif, rising by whole tones 1:19 [m. 17-24] - Motif (C), rising semitones with hemiola, alternating between left hand diminished seventh resolutions and right hand i-iv progessions 1:31 [m. 25-31] - Themes 2 and 3 going from EbM to Em and Bm 1:47 [m. 32-39] - Alternating motif (A) in RH and Theme 2 head in LH. Bm to Em. 2:00 [m. 40-44] - Arpeggios spanning the whole keyboard. Transition from Em to Bm and Ebm(!) 2:07 [m. 45-54] - Motif (C) alternating between thirds in RH and their inversion in LH. At [m. 51] motif (C) is at each quarter note, an octave apart as 1-2 (Ab3-A4), 3-4 (C4-C#5), etc. 2:20 [m. 55-81] - Theme 2, entering in stretto 3 times [m. 55, 61, 67] and followed by extensions of (B) in diatonic scales. At [m. 73] transition to Bbm using (B) 3:01 [m. 82-104] - Theme 1, first repeated at a low register, then legato on alto register, then thirds and chords are added, as the chord accompaniment rises. From Bbm to D melodic minor. At [m. 101] the dominant finally enters, and transitions to 3:43 [m. 105-113] - Theme 4. The majestic grandioso in D Major, containing motif (D), seen in the last beat of [m. 105 and m. 106]. 4:11 [m. 114-119] - Motif (D) repeated in contrasts, used to modulate to Bm 4:34 [m. 120-140] - Theme 2 returns, this time calm and sweet, transposed to major. Some lovely harmonies at [m. 129] 5:20 [m. 141-152] - Theme 3. At [m. 145] it seems to start building up to something, using head of T3 and some funky harmonies only to lead to 5:43 [m. 153-170] - One of the most beautiful passages in all of music. T3, played in D Major, espressivo over triplets and descending bassline. At [m. 165] some wonderfully strange harmonies, transitioning from F#m to G#M with a striking natural seventh in the melody, and finally to C#m, from where a transition through G#Mb6, E7 (or G#°6), Gm6 and finally A7, leading to 6:33 [m. 171-178] - Theme 3, played as a more decorated variation of [m. 153] 6:52 [m. 179-190] - Theme 2, played under impressionistic arpeggios, building up to 7:10 [m. 191-196] - Theme 3, agitato and restless under diminished harmonies, culminating in 7:21 [m. 197-204] - Two reharmonized iterations of T2 under RH trills 7:48 [m. 205-220] - T2 enters triumphantly in major, intersped by chords climbing up the keyboard 8:12 [m. 221-238] - T2 in LH, dramatically ascending by half steps, with frenzying accompaniment in RH, turns into a long chromatic line and transitions to 8:36 [m. 239-254] - (A) singing in the middle of long sparkling phrases, with legato chromatic lines between repetitions 9:00 [m. 255-262] - Transitions to T3 played stacatto, going through Bm, Cm, DbM and F#m. This reminds me of the Op. 10, No. 4 étude by Chopin, with the stacatto chords played over whirling sixteenth notes 9:10 [m. 263-276] - T3 now played fortissimo over octaves. This one conversely reminds me of Beethoven. 9:27 [m. 277-285] - After a furious transition which seems like it should resolve to Am, T1 returns in Gm, under triplet figurations in RH 9:42 [m. 286-296] - T2 returns in its original form, turning into a descending line that eventually leads to 10:02 [m. 297-300] - T4. The Grandioso theme, now in minor, stripped of its accompaniment and played fortississimo and pesante as huge blocks in the lower register. 10:17 [m. 301] - An odd Recitativo with an unclear structural purpose. It is not connected motivically to any of the rest of the Sonata, and it doesn't transition to the next key. 10:41 [m. 302-306]- The Grandioso-Recitativo unit is repeated, this time in Fm instead of C#m. 11:11 [m. 307-310] - Lots of ascending diminished sevenths, bass descending by major thirds 11:25 [m. 311-314] - T3, interrupted by the diminished sevenths 11:38 [m. 315-319] - (A), rising as the bassline descends by half steps 11:45 [m. 320-331] - T3 insistently repeating in LH, as RH plays a very augmented version of T2, ending in a °9 chord MVT II (Development): 12:18 [m. 332-349] - After a short introduction Theme 5 [m. 336] enters in BM. At [m. 341] a slight hint of T3 is incorporated to the theme. 13:16 [m. 350-363] - T3, played very similarly to 5:42, transitioning to 14:18 [
You know Hungarian Rhapsody 2 used to be my favourite piece by Liszt. However that changed within ten minutes of listening to this, absolutely amazing, could even be my favourite piece of all time.
Thank you for posting this superb performance of Liszt's great sonata. Liszt is such an astounding composer, amazing imagination and inspiration for nearly every composer who came after him.
For anyone who is capable of recognising thematic structure upon which the whole piece is built, this is a 30 minute long heaven. The whole piece is based on 5 themes. Actually we hear all five in the beginning of the piece. Then all themes are transformed to such an extent that listeners cannot recognise them, only a thorough analysis of the score can reveal these thematic transformations. Therefore what we hear in Brahms' music is here again but this time with Liszt's genius. By the way form of the piece is something on which theorists still debate. I am for Double Form but one movement sonata form with an integrated slow movement is also catching my attention. Such a piece. Lucky to be able to hear in my life.
Anybody else notice the voicing he does here?
11:54 Top Line
11:58 Middle Line
12:02 Bottom Line
Noah Johnson Nicely spotted 😀
:) this is a masterful performance.
Genuis!
I spotted that too!
Yeah i immediately stole and implemented it into my performance haha. Bloody brilliant.
Today, I found myself falling slowly out of love with music. I’m an undergrad and after a long hard semester of 19 credits (most of which were music)- I found it hard to keep music truly magical without stressing over it. I never thought it would be possible for me to not love music, but I noticed it happening. I saw a snippet of this piece that caught my eye and I decided to listen to it in its entirety. This brought me a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time- and made me fall in love with music again. Made me remember why it’s been important to me to begin with. Thank you, Liszt.
I am so pleased to hear that about your experience and that this marvelous work help bring you back to how the reason music can touch something in us and change us into something we are more of than we were before. A wordless message with that, at times, we can identify and can truly connect to our deepest self. Keep discovering what music can and will do for the human spirit.
I am going thru the exact same thing, studying musical composition at university. It is sad but true.
@@pocayonom I think Music loses a little of its touch when you start to study it’s entirety, becomes less magical in a way
You're very welcome.
@@franzliszt2449 its the father himself 🙏
This sonata is about contrasts. In this 15:35 section, liszt builds the most brilliant transition ever written. From hell to heaven, from black to white, from voracious anger to the most serene and beautiful feeling. The emotional range that liszt achieves in about 20 seconds is completly outstanding.
With this sonata, Liszt will forever be immortal, like his predecessor Beethoven.
And I will say, with intended irony, the best absolute (as in"absolute music", FYI) piano sonata since Beethoven.
In my humble opinion, 12-TET is lame. I agree
@@ruthsalgado6775 ok
On this note I would also like to point out 8:11 - how he manages to go from a showcase of pure energy and virtuosity and then to a beautiful, ethereal section in the span of 10 seconds is beyond me
I can't believe Brahms fell asleep during this when Lizst himself played it for him
And the fact that Clara Schumann herself stated that she didn't think there was even one good idea in this piece. They were both out of their minds.
i know that Schumann was tired because a long trip. he did it involuntarily.
Covellechi Brahms was an asshole in character after all. And Clara Wieck was just arrogant
they both wrote great music in my opinion
@@mcrettable that's true, but music and personality are two different things
I love all the classical piano sonatas,
But this masterpiece is above almost all of them. it’s diabolic as Prokofiev’s, glittering as Chopin’s, logical as Beethoven's, and sophistic as Rachmaninoff’s. This piece represents the highest beauty of romantic period music. I sincerely worship and admire Liszt.
well spoken.
Beautiful comment!
Lovely comment
Facts comment
Only facts
This sonata is almost cathartic. During the last few chords, you can almost feel as though you are ascending into the clouds. I think I cried the first time I heard this piece years ago. It is capable of making time stop. We are so lucky to be able to appreciate this.
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
❤
I'm convinced this is the most accomplished, utterly unblemished performance of any Liszt piece, never mind this Sonata. It is absolutely extraordinary. Zimerman is a cut above.
Took him 76 attempts to record it
@@kanabhprates2103 worth the effort
Liszt et sa technique avec Zimmermann
I have a healthy level of self-confidence / delusion about tackling hard pieces after hearing great performances, but this recording straight up makes me want to quit
The only one that compares IMO is the relatively unknown recording by the Canadian Andre Laplante. I actually don't have a favorite between Zimerman and Laplante; they're both absolutely top tier.
Zimerman: How was that?
Recording Engineer: You were humming again.
Zimerman: Crap! OK. Take 76...
More like
Zimerman: I hummed.
Engineer: No it was perfect, absolutely amazing!
Zimerman: NO, I hummed at the end!
Engineer: It's not audible.
Zimerman *draws a polish cavalry saber*: This is not up for discussion
Engineer: Sigh..
take 76
*glenn gould has entered the chat*
@@kirkwahmmet8406 THIS
I thought humming was Gould's thing.
@@SamiShah2004 Zimerman hums a lot too (though not as much as Gould), check out his recording of Chopin's ballades
For someone want to practice with this video including myself
0:00 mm1 Lento assai-Allegto energico
1:19 mm17
2:04 mm45
2:20 mm55
3:00 mm81
3:42 mm105 Grandioso
4:15 mm114
4:29 mm119
5:19 mm141
5:45 mm153
6:07 mm161
6:24 mm 167
6:33 mm171
6:51 mm179
7:09 mm191
7:20 mm 197
7:47 mm 205 "Development"
7:54 mm 209
8:00 mm213
8:12 mm221
8:17 mm 225
8:28 mm233
9:00 mm255
9:28 mm277
10:02 mm 297 fff-Recitativo
11:12 mm 307
11:46 mm 319
12:18 mm331 Andante sostenuto
13:12 mm347
14:19 mm363
15:45 mm395 fff
16:45 mm415
17:26 mm433
18:48 mm453
19:38 mm460 Allegro energico
20:28 mm499
20:40 mm509
21:01 mm525 "Recapitulation"(W. Newman)
21:49 mm555
22:04 mm569
23:00 mm600
24:000 mm616
24:52 mm634
25:23 mm650 Stretta quasi Presto
25:40 mm665
26:02 mm682
26:23 mm700
27:03 mm711 Andante sostenuto - Lento assai
Thank you
Sure im able to play this piece
¡¡Muchas gracias!!
Thank you!!
I don't use this for practice, but it's very useful for getting to my favorite parts quick, thanks!!!
Hearing this interpretation makes me think this could be the greatest piece ever written for the piano. It's such a joy to listen along with the score and simply marvel at the pianism and playing, the sheer genius and ingeniousness of both. Zimerman has the perfect balance of finger work, power, passion, delicacy, philosophy...it's mind-blowing in every sense!
Greatest is subjective. Reger's Bach variations, Godowsky's Passacaglia are masterpieces too.
@@melvindomard7351 yeah that's understandable.
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
@@shosty575Ives Sonata 2 and Rzewski "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" too
and also a bunch of Sorabji
@@shosty575最高と言う表現は音楽自体の素晴らしさも去ることながらこの作品が他とは違い特別な物であると認識しているからこその発言です。貴方もこの作品の特別性を理解しているはずでは?
I am quite convinced that 15:45 is the most beautiful resolution I've ever heard in my life.
Its even better becuase it's a culmination of a strugle between themes, Andante sostenuto and Grandioso themes vs 3 themes that start the piece. I find the moment before it very heartbreaking, the way Grandioso theme tries to break out, but fails under the first 3 "evil" themes, but eventually wins and blooms in recap of Andante theme.
Yes it’s amazing
Theres always someone in the comments that has to put a part far into the music they enjoy then for the rest of the video you are anxiously waiting for that part.
Am I the only one who think that 15:45 is similar to the first part of chopin's ballade no 4?
@@11D7-n8d FOR REALLLL LOL
1:48 (1, primary theme)
3:42 (2, grandiose theme)
5:44 (3, nocturnal theme)
14:20 (development of 2)
19:39 (fugue)
22:58 (development of 2)
23:59 (development of 3)
25:52 (variation of 1)
26:23 (finale of 2)
You forgot 21:20 1, primary them
recapitulation, not another development
Yeah
❤
U forgot 26:11 I love that part
8:36 took me to a different universe
@@costelconstantin4845 20
@@ludwiggalaxy4277 you deleted your 'you're probably 60 years old' comment😂
Ludwig Galaxy what a loser
@@ludwiggalaxy4277 it was pretty funny to be honest
Almost impressionistic
8:36 this variation is to die for.
can’t get over it
Zimerman's complete obsession with perfection (aside from the playing) is his placement of the mics. He knows exactly about EVERY aspect of recording.
apparently he doesn't like recording though
I'm glad someone else noted it too that practically all of his studio recordings are exceptionally high quality and rich in balanced sounds. I have not enough words for Krystian Zimerman's playing. His art, dedication and understanding of the piece he is playing are astounding.
My most favourite Zimerman's piano recordings: a Deutsche Grammophon 1991 CD with 5 great piano pieces of Liszt (including Sonata in B minor),
Claude Debussy: Preludes, Book 1 & 2
and of course several Frederic Chopin's pieces by Zimerman.
19:39 Wow... a Romantic style fugue. Incredible!
If you like Romantic style fugues, you might also enjoy the fugue at the end of the Brahms Handel Variations. It's one of my favorite fugues and is very Romantic in style.
To add to what SuperThalberg has said, I would recommend the fugue at the end of Godowsky's Pasacaglia, found here: ruclips.net/video/f0nlJXooIVc/видео.html (Starts at around 15:21)
The fugato in totentanz too!
Wait till you hear alkan's 8 voice fugue in his grande sonata les quarte ages 30 ans.
I knew I was not the only one!
23:59 TEARS GUARANTEED. No words to describe the beauty of this melody 😭❤
Mehra Ahsan didn’t know liszt was capable of this
@@JudeWeatherington Same
Mehra Ahsan, listen to Greig's Arietta , and his Remembrance
ruclips.net/video/5TbQftYOKms/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ItZFLpHlimM/видео.html
Of all of the recordings of this available, Zimerman nails it. Nothing I have heard by any other pianist compares to this recording. It is my favourite.
name one time Zimerman didn't nail it
@@colincrothers4836 id say the 75 takes before this one!
@@scottowen3022 lol
Zimmerman is possessed no one can play like him.
Anyone else love the part between 25:50 and 26:25?
This part was literally one of the biggest obsession i've ever had about classical music. Could not help but replay it over and over
totally!
Franz Liszt I really like 26:02 and 8:37
Of course. Gorgeous recapitulation of the theme :,)
Yes, pretty spectacular. In general I find this piece difficult to listen to in its entirety but there are elements of it that are amazing in themselves.
The only recording i will care to listen to of this piece. I won’t bother giving anyone else a try. I’m a pianist and this perfection is hard to come by. Nothing else will possible do. No other recording could possibly satisfy me like this surely? The greatest recording of music I have ever heard. The only piece that lets out my true emotions and Zimerman truly helps with that. God Bless music.
Laplante’s recording of the sonata is also very good.
Yundi Li?
I love how comments point out so many different parts of the piece, it affects everyone differently. But we can all agree it's incredible
I think it is credible
5:44 and suddenly this magical melody comes in , and its so passionate and nostalgic , full of regret...
What's amazing is it's a variation of the super harsh melody earlier.
@@benjaminbeam5273 Wow, I just realized you're right.
@@benjaminbeam5273 Liszt was the master of thematic transformation!
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
Simply the best performance ever heard. The most complete too...the virtuosism is not wild, there's a conscious choice of the tempi even in the most difficult passages and not just "as fast as possibile", the sonority range from pp to ff is astonishing, the quality of sound magic.The line of the Sonata never get lost, the taste is impeccable, always simple, nothing artificial or "recherché". Somebody could tell me that this or that pianist plays better this or that passage, but this remains the best Liszt's b minor Sonata I've ever heard.
"Do you even sonata bro??" What the hell means that?
you hardly sonata bro
Yeah? How many have ya heard?
How about Sultanovs version? He is from Another life!!!
@@bakhtiyorallaberganov8062 no, it is not
Zimerman never disappoints
untrue
@Franz Liszt Of course you don't!
@@Yhiith yes ur tru
@Mathews196 😔
@Franz Liszt best respond ever
25:57 IS THE START OF THE BEST PART!!
I hate to be that guy but the best part starts at 00:00
RustyRainbow22 finally someone agrees with me
26:02
Can you handle 5 sharps ?
Bobby Francis Yes.
8:35 made me cry it’s so beautiful
Liszt Ferenc:h-moll Szonáta
1.Lento assai - Allegro energico 00:00
2. Grandioso - Recitativo 03:42
2.Andante sostenuto 12:19
3.Allegro energico - Andante sostenuto - Lento assai 19:38
Krystian Zimerman-zongora
Dávid Rehák typo?
This should be pinned
fortunately you didn't translate even the tempo markings
this should be pinned dammit
1.
2.
2.
3.
???
I've listened to this piece played by many other pianists, and I never liked it. Until now, that is. This is the first time I truly saw what it was about. I didn't know this sonata could be so beautiful! Now I'm in love with it!
same with me
Pieces take on new meaning in Zimerman's hands. He is truly a master of the keyboard.
Horowitz got me liking it. So did Richter
crystalcolors same
I am glad you were able to open your understanding to this masterpiece...I heard it performed live by so many big stars..but this is THE BEST ONE!
I'LL PLAY THIS ONE DAY
GOOD LUCK
YOU GOT IT
it’s been 10 months, keep going :) i’m starting to learn rach 3 rach sonata 2, and this
@@fredericchopin6445 woah rach sonata 2 is hard.
ay man it's been one year since you commented this. how's it going?
I have been trying to like this sonata for 40 years. And now finally was able to enjoy thoroughly (and in new ways!) this piece. No screaming and yelling, no annoying histrionics, no crazy speed-octave etude sections, yet all of the fullness of sonority and weight of real emotion and musicality. I especially like the steadiness of tempi, determined by the musical flow instead of the performer's flying through sections to show off what he is good at and then slowing down under the grinding weight of the sections difficult to him (everyone?). For me, it took a performance like this to elevate this to full membership in the great sonata pantheon. Thank you, RUclips and KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN!
one of the greatest masterpieces ever created. I can't stress enough how complex and emotionaly deep this piece is.
Amen.
I don’t really like it upon first listen
Miguel Lopez no one does
and how hard it is to understand
@@DaGameMaster711 I do ;)
25:51 o c t a v e s
P R E S T O S T R E T T O
PRESTISSIMO
I've never heard anything cooler in my entire life.
I'm practicing this :(
Well if this isn't one of the most monumental and thrilling things I've ever heard. And it's for solo piano! Brilliant.
shortest 30 minutes in my life ever
I was just going to comment same
ㅋㅋㅋ
헤헤
Good times pass fast
Экспозиция
Гп 0:54
Сп 03:02
Пп 03:42
Зп 09:43
Разработка
1 раздел 12:15
2 раздел 17:31
Реприза
Гп 19:35
Сп 21:49
Пп 22:58
Зп 25:24
Кода 26:22
Добрый человек, благодарю вас!!! У меня будет зачет завтра, Ваш комментарий мне очень помог
Большое спасибо
1 раздел разработки на 10ой минуте, разве нет?
Einleitung / Vstuplenie / Introduction / Ievads 0:00
I was trying to listen this as background music, but this is just too beautiful, too captivating. This monument requires all your attention. It compells you, binds you, subjugates you.
This sonata is not only hard on the player, but the listener too!
@@tommeng6522 Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
"Background music" shouldn't be a thing, period.
💥 Clara Schumann said in one letter that "She despises Liszt from the bottom of her heart"... And when she was desperate for money to survival, after Schuman's death, Liszt was the salvation, he got many concerts for her, over Europe. The grandiosity of Liszt as a human being and as a composer is beyond words. He helped so many people in his long life, and after retiring from concerts, at 35 years old, never earn money from lessons. He tried to help any pianist who sought for him in Altenburg. Wagner said in one letter that he owns Liszt his music, and Liszt's Orpheus was Wagner inspiration for several works. We can't compare Liszt's character with the rest. 🎉❤❤❤
cool
and he gave away almost all of his money
The left hand, 8:44 - 8:50, the playful bounce of that, the articulation against the busy right hand, the clarity...my God!
The left hand is so beautiful！sounds advanced
I was just casually listening and suddenly at around 26:18 I realized what a mind he must have been to compose something that utterly complex and at the same time beautiful. What a nice place the world is to live on, when you possess the ability to enjoy such a masterpiece and let your mind flow accros dimensions.
So beautifully said. I couldn’t agree more
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
@@robertmwelsh9840 Hi:) what can You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
Absolutely true. This piece make me discover dimension i've never discovered..... thank you Liszt!
Step one: Be Franz Liszt
...Zimerman took 76 takes before he managed to get a recording of the Sonata he was satisfied with....wow
And it wasn't because he missed notes either
true professional
First time I listened to this I didn't like it. For the last few months, this piece is amazing. Nothing beats the release of energy at 15:50
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
Same
❤
This is simply, in my opinion, the best piano piece ever written. So beautiful and brilliant, I am totally overwhelmed
Chopin’s 3rd Sonata would like to have a word with you…
@@marshan1226 that's a good one too. We all have our personal favourites, eh?
@@marshan1226 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@marshan1226 Not even close.
It is indeed a powerful composition but there are so many as powerful and brilliant.
22:58... heard this once during a college music appreciation class and have been trying to figure out what it was for decades...
Glad you found it. Do you like the entire piece ?
@@manuelbes
🤓🤫 No. Just that one second.
@@evanwolf6618 :'(
Hi:) what can You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
Unlike a lot of pianists, I love how Zimmerman doesn't take too many liberties, especially with the rests. He actually plays what the composer wrote. And Liszt knew best, of course.
Eine Interpretation, die keine Wünsche offenlässt: der Lisztsche Bombast, die unglaubliche Klarheit vieler Passagen, die rythmische Genauigkeit, die es auch dem Hörer ohne Noten erlaubt, 'auf dem Teppich' zu bleiben, die überlegene 'architektonische' Gestaltung, die zelebrierte Naivität der sanften Abschnitte - alles wunderbar gelungen! Hut ab vor Krystian Zimerman!
27:02 I honestly don't know if I've heard a heavier, more beautiful passage in my life. Simply stunning
My favorite moment in the piece!
Theres always someone in the comments that has to put a part far into the music they enjoy then for the rest of the video you are anxiously waiting for that part.
@@11D7-n8d Yesss!!! This is so true!
@@CK-kd5pn and it turns out to sound the same as the rest of the song/piece 90% of the time
@@11D7-n8d Sound the same as the rest of the piece??? What fucking music do you listen to that is not the same then? Rap?
I've listened to S.178 for years, pretty much all the recordings by renowned pianists. This recording by Zimerman is THE BEST. Besides this rendition, I would also recommend Arrau's (in the 70s i recall), Kissin, Ashenazy and Yuja's studio version.
Zimerman's version strikes me the most because I agree with every single detail that he's playing - the tempo, the change of tempo, the cathartic emotion at the end, his interpretation convinced me and moved me every where. Every time when it comes to 25:50, starting from there, my eyes would become misty. It's like listening to an old man, lying on his dying bed, telling his life story with so many ups and downs and twists, and it's approaching his lifetime climax, his glory and biggest victory in his reminiscence (looking back in our lives, we all do, don't we? ). It's like watching an extraordinary firework slowly rising up into the night sky and presents to you the most colorful explosion that would blow your mind - yet right after it fades away, the night is still dark and all you have is a wonderful memory, and a sense of emptiness and loneliness. It's spectacular yet heartbreaking at the same time. That's my feeling listening to Zimerman's work, or that's my feeling of Liszt's work and Zimerman's rendition intensified my feeling and we are having a resonance.
I like Horowitz record.
I like Sultanov record
Absolutely one of the best pieces ever written. Once you understand it, you'll never go back to not loving it.
I can’t get over this piece of music, it’s unbelievable. Liszt’s masterpiece
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
There's nothing missing here: energy, tenderness, control, madness, nuances. Zimerman is just a SUBLIME pianist.
And Liszt is a sublime composer.
the best sonata ever, in my opinion. It' s really beautiful how Liszt transformed the thems like this: 1:41 to 5:44 or 1:06 to 6:34. 14:32, 15:11 those passages are so dramatically beautiful, 15:40 one of the most beautiful transition ever, 19:47 this fugato is genial, 3:34 is beautiful how Liszt did that trasition to 3:41 this beautiful theme. Beautiful sonata❤️.
15:40 gives me goosebumps. I assumed Lizst was just a flashy composer until I saw this and his Leibestraume. How wrong I was. Lizst can compose some truly beautiful music.
the fugato is a fucking banger xd
@@not_meepington Listen to his sonnet 47, 104, and 123 del Petrarch
26:56 "Miao"
So happy to be played by Zimerman, that it acts like a cat, the piano.
Terryss I’m tentative as to whether this is English or not
Alexander Alekhine The strings made some sort of meowing noise, so the op said that the piano meowed like a cat as if it were happy to be played by Zimmerman, I guess.
What
@@ValzainLumivix ok
@Franz Schubert maybe not
I've just played this, perfectly, to a large audience at the Royal Albert Hall.
"....Sparky......Sparky!"
"Uh?"
"Wake up, dear, you've been asleep."
Happens all the time
This sonata is a miracle.
What happens if you have a “stroke of genius” that lasts a whole sonata.
I always see the return of the Lento assai theme at 18:53 as some sort of "plot twist". Like it was all so heavenly (in F# Major, Liszt's go-to when writing heavenly stuff), then all of a sudden that section appears. Makes the hair at the back of my neck stand every time.
Agreed. It’s like an uneasy memory resurfacing - unfinished business.
Except it shouldn't be played in the same tempo as in the beginning. Liszt didn't write "Lento assai" therefore it should be played in the same tempo as the entire middle section, i.e. Andante sostenuto
It's the only thing that bothers me about this performance (and nearly every performance of this piece, for that matter). In fairness, it's a trap that's very easy to fall into, because it's obviously a reference to the opening. But it's not the only one, far from it (see 3:02 and 21:49). So why 18:47 in particular should benefit from a change in tempo? The reference to the beginning is clear enough, it doesn't need that change of tempo
But I have to admit that the effect is really stupendous. To me this passage feels like seeing your own footsteps on the ground and realizing you've been running in circles since the beginning
19:47 now that's a diabolic fugue !
Sounds like the Baroque Period.
its a very strange part to this piece as its only 3 part so in comparison to the rest of the textures its actually very thin
It's awesomely diabolic !!
@@james.housego A truly diabolic (and very thick) fugue can be found in Alkan's 30 ans.
@@calebhu6383 ill give it a listen
More than one million views : i am proud of the inhabitants of earth.
indeed.
arguably the finest pianist living
+Cameron Ferguson I totally agree.
Marcos Imken Why?
I think too. I also appreciate Lugansky, who's today one of the best pianists, I think.
Ashkenazy too !
But, I agree, Zimerman has always been a true genius...
not living anymore unfortunately
??? All the pianists mentioned above are still alive.
In my opinion, simply the most fantastic, brilliant piece written in history, full stop. Nothing comes close. Sublime in some parts, desperate and grasping for air in others. I don’t have any words. I mean, check 15:35 to the F# major resolution and 26:03 - just some of many brilliant moments. Wow, Franz Liszt was a genius.
enigma Haha, yes, Chop- I mean my sonata is still very nice :)
Also, Prokofiev’s sonata is very well made. They were all brilliant composers.
15:39 is by far the best moment in the piece. That F# was the smoothest thing I’ve ever heard. It made me have a physical reaction 😂
@Falco Listen to Beethoven's Op.106
Best part:
00:00 - 30:38
yayo bro this is true
Greatest piano piece ever written. Period.
True
There are some more including Liszt's other masterpieces for piano🙂
Honestly you can just put every piece that Liszt wrote and it would work.
Hammerklavier Sonata, Goldberg Variations, Chopin Bm Sonata, etc.
Along with Feinberg 3, Messiaen Vingt Regards, Szymanowski 3, Vine 1, Sorabji Opus Clavicembalisticum, and Bussotti pour clavier
МСС(Ц)МШ имени Гнесиных представляет:
Экспозиция
Вступление - 0:04
ГП1 - 0:54
ГП2 - 1:49
ПП1 - 03:43
ПП2 - 05:45
ЗП - 07:49
Разработка
I р - 10:03
III р - 12:19
IV р фугатто - 19:40
Кода - 28:15
How could anyone write such a beautiful, mysterious, macabre, and frightening piece in their full lifetime? And how could anyone even think to play such a monster of a masterpiece? This is one of the most incredible recordings of anything on RUclips ever, so thank you Zimerman for trying 76 times to make this perfection, and thank you AXK for posting this with a perfect slideshow of music!
Scriabin
@@YG-us6tl I believe Scriabin is probably on my way of becoming my favorite composer, I can relate to some of his style so much. I really love his third sonata, might be my favorite Sonata actually. His music can be so dark like Liszt, yet doesn't sound much like Liszt, I found Chopin and Rachmaninov to be the most similar to him, though they're still a bit far. He has great works, and is underrated imo. I do love every single composer I mentioned in this comment, and would add Prokofiev alongside.
Mr. Zimerman is the greatest pianist I have ever heard.
This has never been a favorite piece of mine-until now. This version prefers depth to mere show, and finds poetry in the percussion of cascading octaves as well as in the tender, tentative cadenzas where one note spills out at a time. Zimerman plays in time when playing in time makes sense, and he plays tempo rubato, even extremely, when a breath makes all the sense in the world. He made me hear more of the motivic development than I'd ever heard before, which makes the entire sonata sound intricately constructed rather than reeled off in a fit of passion with the hope of wringing every last drop, quite randomly, out of meager materials. Something profoundly sincere comes through in this version; the sonata no longer seems like a high-minded trick. Zimerman has somehow gone beyond the notes, and what might otherwise seem melodramatic in them, to find something genuine, vast, and spiritual. I hope other people enjoy it as much as I did.
Great analysis
+Christopher M
What a nice comment! Thank you so much.
I keep listening to it, start if off and can't turn it off, time and again!
+Marc Vincenti I myself found Zimerman to be the only one to keep a connected melodic line. Truly an amazing performance.
+Marc Vincenti Such a powerful piece! "Sonata" is almost a misnomer - more of a symphonic poem for the piano. I have come around to Liszt, as you did, thanks to great performers who have allowed the music to shine through above all, despite the highest standards of technical difficulty. Zimerman is one. Another one that really blew me away and helped me warm up to Liszt was Lazar Berman's recording of the Transcendental Etudes. I really can't say what make me curious about Liszt again, but I'm so glad I gave it another chance.
+Paul Mayer Spot on. Lazar Berman's Transcendental Studies are the seminal recordings of the work in my opinion. I'm always surprised that they are not more well known. His Mazeppa is frightening in it's raw power. Feux Follets is the most humerous recording out there. And Chasse Niege is simply incredible. I would have to give No. 10 to Cziffra, but as a complete set, Berman's is the best.
3:02, 5:44, 7:48, 12:18, 15:46, 20:59, 21:49, 22:35, 25:51. Also 25:09 is a genius transition from lyrical to animato.
The most shocking thing about some Liszt's pieces is that they don't really belong to the romantic period, like if they were written in 20th century, BUT THEY WEREN'T! I always admired Liszt for his progressive way of composing, I mean, how brave he must be to compose like that! For the same reasons I'm really excited about Musorgsky and Scriabin also
Since discovering this a few days ago, I cannot stop listening to this all day. It is the only thing I've listened to for about 4 days now. With every listen, I discover something new.
00:10 вст. "надтема" g
00:54 ГП 1 ел. "фаустіанський" h
01:06 ГП 2 ел. "мефістофельський" h
03:42 ПП 1 т. "тема самоствердження" D
05:44 ПП 2 т. "тема Маргарити" D
09:01 ЗП h
09:42 РБ, початок
12:19 ЕП ГП Fis
13:18 ЕП ПП А (образ Маргарити)
14:20 ЕП ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") Fis
19:38 фугато (тема ГП) b
21:20 РП ГП h
22:59 РП ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") H
26:23 КД ПП 1 т. ("тема самоствердження") H
28:14 КД ГП H
Entire 30min is exciting. This is one of those maybe i will give myself 30 years to learn inspiration piece. Super intense, yet delicate. I could listen to this daily.
Hi:) what can You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
0:05 - Вступ.
0:52 - 1 элем. ГП
1:06 - 2 элем. ГП
3:43 - 1 тПП
5:45 - 2 тПП
8:38 - нач. Разраб.
12:18 - Эпизод (в Разраб)
19:39 - Фугато в Разраб.
25:52 - нач. Коды
10:24 you can hear him singing the melody as he plays it
liceous Yeah, I noticed that as well - and in MANY other places as well. I find it ironic that he did 76 takes to find one he was okay with for the finalized recording, yet chose one with such audible humming haha! Then again... things like that are the purview of the recording engineer(s) to take care of, I suppose. As much as the humming sticks out ("once you hear it, you can't un-hear it" kind of situation), I found it never really bothered me. Just made it seem somehow all the more real and tangible, I suppose.
I guess I'm more surprised that there aren't a ton of people trashing the recording over it; a lot of Glenn Gould recordings get crap over him doing it, yet it was something he was well known for. Ah well. I'll stop rambling haha. Back to the wonderful music.
liceous Zimmerman hums the melody all the time. His fans seem to enjoy it. In his RUclips recordings of Chopin ballade 2,3 and 4 there is really audible humming as well
@@thanos4677 i love zimerman but his humming is so annoying
@@DallasBolin glen gould humming was way louder.
@@p-y8210 Yeah, you definitely have a point there! I went and listened to some Gould after having made the above comments and it hit me just how big a difference there was. He REALLY gets into the humming.
This is heaven itself, and I cannot express what it made me feel. I truly am blown away by the immense depth I feel, to the welling of emotions I haven't felt since I was a child. What wonders music bring, and Liszt I thank you for this thing so much greater than a masterpiece.
This is one of the reasons why I love Liszt, man life is good
I've listened to over 20 recordings of this Sonata, and this one clearly comes out on top.
Dear Ashish! Thank you for sharing this recording together with the sheet music. The Sonata is my favourite piece of music and Zimerman's recording has been my favourite take of it ever since I first heard it a dozen or so years ago. The Sonata offers a lot of different possibilities of interpretation which can all be equally "valid" - I think it is one of the most versatile pieces in the piano literature - but for me Zimerman is absolutely spotless here. Every note, every dymanic, every tempo, every rubato, every cantabile - I can't think of a single thing I would want to change about this recording.
The final page of the music is one of the most magical moments music can offer - the tritone cadence is indeed a fantastic touch, but the whole page belongs to a select few musical gems that - in the words of Stravinsky - "will always be contemporary."
If I can recommend a similarly rewarding album to the one containing the present recording I would like to point you in the direction of Arnaldo Cohen's Liszt album with the solo version of Totentanz: everything on that disc is pure magic.
Best!
Zimerman's touch is so perfect. There are so few notes that fall outside of dynamic range in every series of notes, and you hear them all - none lost, and none pedaled out. That is so difficult to do. It's one thing to hit the right notes every time but to grade them all perfectly as well is very difficult. I am sure that is where the 78 takes come from; he just can't stand anything out of place, which goes along with his craftman's relationship with his pianos. I heard so many new things in the sonata when I heard this performance. I think Liszt would have loved this guy (I wonder if he really appreciated Paderewski that much - amateur bullshit merchant by comparison with Zimerman).
I think it should be said that Yuja has grown incredibly both technically and in her depth. I dare say a current performance by her (in 2017) would also be quite impressive, but not quite at this level.
Oh, sure Cziffra was incredible, and his virtuosity also stunning, but he had nothing like the dynamic control and technical precision of this guy, and Cziffra's light touch was not the best, and sometimes his interpretations were quirky, in a Lang Lang kind of a way, though less so.
And now I'm off to listen to Pogorelich's version. As somebody said, he also is extraordinary.
For me Franz Liszt's Sonata in b-minor is like an Epic Adventure.
The Emotions, Colors, etc...
It is just great! And the Ending is a bit sad because it is like the Adventure is Ending.
Liszt’s transition from b minor to d major is amazing
(This is only a prototype, I am not a musicologist, and I would appreciate anyone helping me out with this analysis. Also english is not my first language so it might not be written correctly)
MVT I (Exposition):
0:00 [m. 1-7] - Theme 1. Low stacatto octaves, then downards legato scale, with varying accidentals. First scale is C Harmonic Minor, then a G Hungarian Minor scale.
0:52 [m. 8-13] - Theme 2. Jagged octaves, B Min. Consisting of 2 motifs, (A) in [m. 9 & 11] and (B) in [m. 10 & 12], a diminished seventh descending arpeggio
1:06 [m. 13-17] - Theme 3. Hammering marcato motif, rising by whole tones
1:19 [m. 17-24] - Motif (C), rising semitones with hemiola, alternating between left hand diminished seventh resolutions and right hand i-iv progessions
1:31 [m. 25-31] - Themes 2 and 3 going from EbM to Em and Bm
1:47 [m. 32-39] - Alternating motif (A) in RH and Theme 2 head in LH. Bm to Em.
2:00 [m. 40-44] - Arpeggios spanning the whole keyboard. Transition from Em to Bm and Ebm(!)
2:07 [m. 45-54] - Motif (C) alternating between thirds in RH and their inversion in LH. At [m. 51] motif (C) is at each quarter note, an octave apart as 1-2 (Ab3-A4), 3-4 (C4-C#5), etc.
2:20 [m. 55-81] - Theme 2, entering in stretto 3 times [m. 55, 61, 67] and followed by extensions of (B) in diatonic scales. At [m. 73] transition to Bbm using (B)
3:01 [m. 82-104] - Theme 1, first repeated at a low register, then legato on alto register, then thirds and chords are added, as the chord accompaniment rises. From Bbm to D melodic minor. At [m. 101] the dominant finally enters, and transitions to
3:43 [m. 105-113] - Theme 4. The majestic grandioso in D Major, containing motif (D), seen in the last beat of [m. 105 and m. 106].
4:11 [m. 114-119] - Motif (D) repeated in contrasts, used to modulate to Bm
4:34 [m. 120-140] - Theme 2 returns, this time calm and sweet, transposed to major. Some lovely harmonies at [m. 129]
5:20 [m. 141-152] - Theme 3. At [m. 145] it seems to start building up to something, using head of T3 and some funky harmonies only to lead to
5:43 [m. 153-170] - One of the most beautiful passages in all of music. T3, played in D Major, espressivo over triplets and descending bassline. At [m. 165] some wonderfully strange harmonies, transitioning from F#m to G#M with a striking natural seventh in the melody, and finally to C#m, from where a transition through G#Mb6, E7 (or G#°6), Gm6 and finally A7, leading to
6:33 [m. 171-178] - Theme 3, played as a more decorated variation of [m. 153]
6:52 [m. 179-190] - Theme 2, played under impressionistic arpeggios, building up to
7:10 [m. 191-196] - Theme 3, agitato and restless under diminished harmonies, culminating in
7:21 [m. 197-204] - Two reharmonized iterations of T2 under RH trills
7:48 [m. 205-220] - T2 enters triumphantly in major, intersped by chords climbing up the keyboard
8:12 [m. 221-238] - T2 in LH, dramatically ascending by half steps, with frenzying accompaniment in RH, turns into a long chromatic line and transitions to
8:36 [m. 239-254] - (A) singing in the middle of long sparkling phrases, with legato chromatic lines between repetitions
9:00 [m. 255-262] - Transitions to T3 played stacatto, going through Bm, Cm, DbM and F#m. This reminds me of the Op. 10, No. 4 étude by Chopin, with the stacatto chords played over whirling sixteenth notes
9:10 [m. 263-276] - T3 now played fortissimo over octaves. This one conversely reminds me of Beethoven.
9:27 [m. 277-285] - After a furious transition which seems like it should resolve to Am, T1 returns in Gm, under triplet figurations in RH
9:42 [m. 286-296] - T2 returns in its original form, turning into a descending line that eventually leads to
10:02 [m. 297-300] - T4. The Grandioso theme, now in minor, stripped of its accompaniment and played fortississimo and pesante as huge blocks in the lower register.
10:17 [m. 301] - An odd Recitativo with an unclear structural purpose. It is not connected motivically to any of the rest of the Sonata, and it doesn't transition to the next key.
10:41 [m. 302-306]- The Grandioso-Recitativo unit is repeated, this time in Fm instead of C#m.
11:11 [m. 307-310] - Lots of ascending diminished sevenths, bass descending by major thirds
11:25 [m. 311-314] - T3, interrupted by the diminished sevenths
11:38 [m. 315-319] - (A), rising as the bassline descends by half steps
11:45 [m. 320-331] - T3 insistently repeating in LH, as RH plays a very augmented version of T2, ending in a °9 chord
MVT II (Development):
12:18 [m. 332-349] - After a short introduction Theme 5 [m. 336] enters in BM. At [m. 341] a slight hint of T3 is incorporated to the theme.
13:16 [m. 350-363] - T3, played very similarly to 5:42, transitioning to
14:18 [
너무 도움 되었습니다.
이곡에 자료를 찾던중 악마의 츄릴이 곡중에 있다고 있다고 해서 계속 설명 들으며 찾고있었는데
전반부에 있는 그곳이 악마의츄릴로 불리워지는지는 잘 모르겠니다.
후반부에도 있는것 같아요.
감사합니다.
Why the hell isn't this further up?
After a few practice sessions, I can play up to 0:04
I can personally perform the silence after the last note 30:33 to 30:38 with great aplomb. Still not as good as Zimerman though.
Can we stop the memes? Classical music is not that far away.
People are just lazy.
@@terryss95 what meme?
Terryss95 way to take a joke you legend. You must have loads of friends
@@terryss95 Proper social interaction isn't that far away either, you've just gotta work at it :D
You know Hungarian Rhapsody 2 used to be my favourite piece by Liszt. However that changed within ten minutes of listening to this, absolutely amazing, could even be my favourite piece of all time.
Cristo Harijan this is probably the best piece ever written to paper, along with the Goldberg variations
@@jacksonleider3298 no.
Ludwig Galaxy but has your viewpoint changed?
Ludwig Galaxy so a month passed and you became a major and your humor hasn’t evolved yet
@@jacksonleider3298 Nah mate, Le Festin d'Esope by Alkan. That shits actually on par with Goldberg variations and Diabelli Variations.
Not a Pianist, not even a musician, only knows a few music theory. But I love this piece. This is so epic.
Thank you for posting this superb performance of Liszt's great sonata. Liszt is such an astounding composer, amazing imagination and inspiration for nearly every composer who came after him.
I never understood this piece until I listened to this recording. Best interpretation...EVER!
Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
The climax after 15:00 is really amazing, my favourite part for sure.
There are no better recording of this piece... Just excellent!!!
Hi:) what can You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
For anyone who is capable of recognising thematic structure upon which the whole piece is built, this is a 30 minute long heaven. The whole piece is based on 5 themes. Actually we hear all five in the beginning of the piece. Then all themes are transformed to such an extent that listeners cannot recognise them, only a thorough analysis of the score can reveal these thematic transformations. Therefore what we hear in Brahms' music is here again but this time with Liszt's genius. By the way form of the piece is something on which theorists still debate. I am for Double Form but one movement sonata form with an integrated slow movement is also catching my attention. Such a piece. Lucky to be able to hear in my life.
a minor-F major-B major. Simply marvellous.
IV, neapolitan II, V46
His playing remember me the quality of Callas sound, very emotional in every single note. Thank you for sharing this jewel.
Экспозиция:
ГП(1) 0:54 (Тема Фауста)
ГП(2) 1:06 (Тема Мефистофеля)
СП 1:47
ПП(1) 03:42
ПП(2) 5:44 (тема Маргариты)
ЗП 09:00
Разработка:
1) 10:18 (Тема вступления + ГП1)
2) 11:46 (ГП1 + ГП2)
3) 12:18 (Andante sostenuto)
4) 19:40 (Фугато)
Реприза
ГП(1) 19:38
СП 21:19
ПП(1) 22:58
ПП(2) 23:59
ЗП 25:24
Кода 26:02
Thank you bro🥺❤
arguably the best recording of this piece I have ever heard
the only recording of this that i have ever heard
@@littleprofessorpiano4671 Hi:) what would You say of this? ruclips.net/video/tXdVo3SzkyM/видео.html
17:59 이 부분이 진짜 너무 슬프고 좋아요...슬픈 생각이 나고 슬픈 분위기가 아니라 어릴 때 바다로 가족여행 갔을 때 혼자 바다 보던... 너무 그리운 어린시절이 생각나서 저도 모르게 눈물이 흐르네요... 말로 표현할 수 없는 슬프지 않은 슬픔...
Zimerman is truly the finest pianist in the world.
Na Richter innit.
cziffra?????
Everyone is the finest in his own mode.don't compare
Sultanov is from another world!
Zimerman can make 4:33 the most beautiful thing in the world
i dont know a thing about a music score.......... but just one thing i know is that this man ..zimerman gave me jaw-drop here
This piece gets better every time I listen to it.
Each interpretation of Zimmerman is a work of art.
"Kind of beautiful?" It's sublime.
This might just be the best piece written for piano ever
15:00 - 16:00 might be my new favorite moment in ALL of music!
(Especially that climax at 15:45)
The great thing is that climax is easier to play than it looks. Couldn’t play this in a thousand years but I could get that part down.