The Music Plays On — Liszt Piano Sonata in B minor

Liszt, 1858

Franz Liszt, perhaps the most famous of 19th century pianist composers, wrote only one piano sonata. This thirty-minute work, music that is played without pause or break, is one of the Himalayan peaks of the piano repertoire.

By the time Franz Liszt completed the Piano Sonata in B minor in 1853, his career as a barnstorming virtuoso soloist had purposefully slowed down. He was comfortably living in Weimar, concertizing only when he wanted, and devoting most of his attention to composing. The sonata was dedicated to the composer Robert Schumann, who had dedicated his Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 to Liszt in 1839.

It is worth noting that Liszt composed arguably his most successful orchestral piece, Les préludes, in 1853, as well.