A libretto to Franz Liszt Sonata B minor, S178 by Jerome Rose

Liszt expert Jerome Rose plays through the iconic B Minor Sonata of Franz liszt explaining its underlying theme, its motifs, construction of the work and the development of the melodies from the beginning till the end. A must-see lecture for all pianists and music lovers.

[@themike97_58]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who listens to this piece and hears a symphony between the lines. Liszt writes so colorfully.

[@benyaminpourmohamad4370]

Thanks great Jerome Rose for this profound insight and wonderful lecture on this massive sonata. It’s very rare that great pianists share their own thoughts and experiences on the Lizst’s sonata. I wish him the longest life.

[@frankiewinters1255]

This has always been one of my favourite pieces of music ever, I'm over-joyed to listen to this man analyse it in such depth! As I'm only 22 years old most of my friends just talk about dubstep and pop and I bore them to death if I start talking about Liszt, it's nice to know other people out there appreciate and understand this kind of music even more than I do :)

[@lisztcompetition]

We're glad to hear that Frankie!

[@leonsundermeyer]

Same with me my friend 😂

[@cme1447]

Of course we do.. I started to listen to Liszt with 15 or 16

[@skrjabinesque2040]

Coming from someone who regularly teaches classical music appreciation to new ears I’d say the first step to reach your friends (if you’re actually interested in doing so) is to adopt a less arrogant display and figure out effective ways to communicate with them. There is enough wealth and variety in Liszt that even the most stubborn ears can develop an appreciation, I would know - I’ve tried.

[@mrthirdeyeching]

Liszt, master of the diminished 7th. Very cool analysis. I’ve watched quite a few interpretations of this piece. It grows on me the more I listen to it. Lately I wake up hearing it in my head. Aside from the etudes, this is Liszt’s greatest work in my opinion. Still my favorite composer of all time.

[@davidransbottom8314]

Thank you, Mr. Rose, for that wonderful journey through Liszt's great B Minor Sonata.

[@mariachristinaferraz3036]

Doesn’t need anything extra, no fireworks no special lights, his talent is enough! What a master pianist! Thank you!

[@cme1447]

You need to hear this piece several times over many years then it makes sense more and more, at first listening it seems incomprehensible to me but after some times it cleared up

[@ciararespect4296]

Exactly yes disjointed but a firm favorite now

[@inazuma3gou]

I see that Mr. Rose comes from Glenn Gould's school of humming while playing. Great commentary!!

[@Kinjutsuu]

super annoying

[@micheldupaul7768]

Yes, it is to be seen and heard. Fascinating and inspiring as all these notes create emotional sensations. A big thank you for this beautiful experience.

[@Michaelxxx1936]

Many thanks Sir, for your clear and exciting description of the B Minor Sonata. I just love this piece and although I don't have any classical musical training your video has given me much more to listen out for, and will add greatly to my continued enjoyment.

[@PGSH]

Excellent lecture on the form of Liszt’s Sonata in b-minor. The main meaning is found in the themes and the harmony. These are thoroughly discussed. So thankful that such an objective approach is taken to the analysis. This lecture and the lecture by Leslie Howard on performance practice of the sonata are pure gold for any performer of this sonata.

[@silviasilvia175]

Thank you so much! Your analysis is spectacular. The link you make since the beginning with Verdi's opera is so fair. I' m sure Hugo Wolf wanted to be his follower.

[@aalb1970]

Very interesting walkthrough of this wonderful sonata

[@bengatss]

Thank You Mr. Rose for a very good recording and playing!

[@falamimire]

Thank you M.Rose.You made my day.I watched from beginning to end.I liked the sound coming out of your piano.I liked your explanations.I liked everything you said and played.

[@svrfan]

wow this was great, thanks for the upload!

[@konigstephan]

One of the most valuable and *important* videos about Romantic piano and music in general on all KZbin. A truly great document.

[@martaromarate5372]

Wonderful piece and a great pianist too, congratulations!! 💕🎶👏👏👏

[@ricardonascimento6020]

Thank you for the magnificent class.

[@enjoyfog]

…I understand that you are another victim of this masterpiece, how not to be overwhelmed by the way Liszt reveals through that music the romantic courage to face up to the fears of human being… I love it and I appreciate very much your analysis

[@asymptoticbehavior]

I appreciate that he acknowledges the upper voice in the Grandioso and plays it as so . There are many pianist that play the upper voice like its apart of a chord and it loses its melodic definition, it sounds like a wash of colors.

[@122112guru]

Lenny Bernstein thought that the Faust Symphony was Liszt's greatest work,but i have to say this beats it as his greatest work.It is indeed a musical operatic and programmatic piano portrait of the Gospel and esp Genesis 3:15.Leslie Howard in his new edition video here on YT even tells how Liszt inscribed the final bar with the letters L.D.laus Deo-praise be to GOD.The Greatest Biblical music after Bach's(B minor) and Beethoven's Masses and Mozart's Requiem.Liszt's innovation(Scriabin's too) and model of a single Mvt Thematic/motivic transformation modified Sonata form is still viable and is a great study for contemporary Composers today.Great vid and lesson.Thanks.

[@HarDiMonPetit]

Thank you Sir, for this brotherly hearted yet enlightening travel into the light and darkness of this protean marvel. Your deep science of this work is propelled by emotion and you share both with such a generosity that it's impossible not to be moved. Thank you indeed.

[@charliekim2939]

I am musically illiterate. I love Liszt's piano solos even though I cannot explain why. I love Chopin, too. If there were two, Chopin and Liszt, piano recitals at the same time I would be in trouble deciding which one to go. I would probably go for Chopin. Later, however, I might regret missing Liszt. Or, vice versa. After 60 years (give or take a few) of intently listening and greatly enjoying classical music, all I can say is one doesn't have to understand music to love music. It is beyond logical explanation. I also enjoy music talk like this. Knowing a little doesn't hurt. Some familiarity certainly enhances enjoyment.

[@falamimire]

You are right in saying that analysis does not make you like music better.S.Richter said that he disliked ANALYSIS.

[@Davidfooterman]

Wonderful analysis!

[@rodolfo2529]

Artists like Mr. Rose have so much knowledge that is it really a pleasure when they share some of it with everybody. Videos like this one can make us understand and enjoy the music a lot more. I wish Mr. Rose makes more "video-classes" like this one. Thanks a lot!

[@RMPdude]

Gorgeous. Thank you.

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

There is nothing more crucial to LIszt's invocation than the silence that precedes or proceeds. They are always meant to be pregnant beyond most pianists ambition for them.

[@xylophone897]

i also like to imagine a whole symphony orchestra playing this. It fits perfectly.

[@spiritualneutralist2597]

That's what made me fall in love with the piece. Liszt isn't senselessy hard stuff but a pianistic expression or impression of the orchestra. I totally agree with you.

[@estebanabad2795]

There is a version

[@mrthirdeyeching]

Yes, the orchestrated version is well with a listen, though it is not his orchestration, it reveals very clearly how Liszt approached the piano.

[@dcvao]

Leo wiener did it

[@victorgallardo6375]

The most dramatic Sonata of all times and the Opera Massima de Liszt

[@FirstGentleman1]

What a great masterpiece. Certainly Liszts opus magnum.

[@BucketPotato]

Very helpful, thanks

[@Highinsight7]

GREAT pianist... ONE of the GREAT Liszt pianists of ALL time!

[@Highinsight7]

Talking about Mr Rose... (Liszt, goes without saying...)

[@usernameatusernameperiodsh2168]

I would say that alkan was better than lizst (as a piano player)

[@bennyksmusicalworld]

When emotion meets intellect. What a sonata.

[@franzliszt5292]

I'm alright

[@atheism5284]

Hi maestro!

[@danielhornby5581]

@@andreaskleinpianist I thought this was a great lecture. Yes, music does not need analysis. But recognising and understanding how themes are used and developed does help with some aspects of interpretation.

[@sasha42196]

Impostor

[@clavichord]

I'm all left

[@yoonchun6945]

Bravo !, well explained ❤

[@Davidfooterman]

Being such a handsome and imposing man and such a brilliant performer, it must have been difficult for Liszt to get recognition as a composer, not least from himself, and especially with the likes of Chopin around at the time!

[@thomasmrf.brunner]

I don't know of any sonata that touched me more deeply - together with William Byrd's motet "Aspice Domine", published in 1575, or Keith Jarrett's Part II of his legendary improvised (!) Cologne Concert on Friday January 24th, 1975 , as well as several works by J.S.Bach that cannot be listed here, it belongs to the musical summit works for which I am infinitely grateful ... FRANZ LISZT: Die h-moll-Sonate (1849-1853) S.178 (The Piano Sonata in b-minor) : kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtzF7zFf5JvJJOSp9y1RsLqd FRANZ LISZT (1811 - 1886) : Cantando espressivo (- Sonate in h-moll,1853) kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtyPK9citStePeuqbll7N3sp FRANZ LISZT (1811 - 1886): Fuge - Allegro energico ( - Sonate in h-moll , 1853) kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtzeF_BAxDxCwLq0JNY6oZJl

[@thomasmrf.brunner]

WILLIAM BYRD (1543-1623) : Aspice Domine ( 1575 - Cantiones Sacrae ) kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtxq6702G-rEfPMqEQxmmvL2 de.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_K%C3%B6ln_Concert Freitag, 24.Januar 1975 kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtyZiffPkwaIsTMaWQtIdzrL

[@thomasmrf.brunner]

FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886): Au Lac Du Wallenstadt (Années de pèlerinage - Première année: Suisse, S. 160)(1848-1854) kzbin.info/aero/PLfdMKJMGPPtybv9SpIsP0MtDIkX3urBUF

[@cynthiagunkle7834]

I was able to see this in person. Wow! Love Mr. Rose so much!

[@cynthiagunkle7834]

What a fabulous teacher!!

[@cynthiagunkle7834]

Nothing can top this!

[@vladislavmoshkanov6145]

If only I had a chance to play at least weekly on Steinway&Sons. Perfect sound and keyboard mechanics compared to 'firewoods'.

[@cynthiagunkle7834]

What an amazing pianist and man. See him in person if You can. You will not be disappointed.

[@Davidfooterman]

It feels as though Liszt heard sections of the piece and then, upon getting them playable on the piano, heard a connecting bridge and, upon playing that, heard the next section and got that playable. Musicologists, I feel, make the mistake of trying to find too much literary or other cultural form and significance in pieces. These composers were people of their time and, in many cases, were well-known and socially connected, and aware of what was expected of them, and what would get them paid. Obviously, Liszt could earn a living as a great performer, and was worshipped socially (and sexually) and perhaps this makes his composing even more definitive in its own right: he needed to talk to himself and had the pianistic ability to do so at an extraordinary level. It makes you wonder to what extent the technical limitations of other composers affected their works. Even in Chopin, who was a great pianist as well, right, there is very little that is technically as tough as you find in the Liszt B minor. Imagine what a set of Liszt equivalents of the Chopin studies would have been like to play - ouch!

[@Davidfooterman]

‘None of them have …’ How do you know that, sir?

[@felix699]

Too sad he doesnt give much proportion on the fugue. Still a good analysis

[@massipicun8658]

Stupendo

[@РоссийскаяФедерация-б4я]

What was he playing at 8:10

[@classicalmusiclover4029]

Grammar Nazi I think he was improvising

[@РоссийскаяФедерация-б4я]

@@classicalmusiclover4029 finally a response thank you

[@Torebordalpiano]

He's just showing an improvised tonal example of what Liszt DIDN'T do when he arrives in b minor.

[@РоссийскаяФедерация-б4я]

Toreidbor well he could’ve played an example of a piece in b minor

[@eldanizalakbarzade883]

13:48 whose dissertation is he talking about? I can't hear and understand the name of him..

[@lisztcompetition]

Tibor Szász - www.academia.edu/33894488/Szasz_Tibor_Liszt_s_Sonata_in_B_minor_and_a_Woman_Composer_s_Fingerprint_The_Liszt_Society_Journal_vol._35_-_36_2010-2011.pdf

[@eldanizalakbarzade883]

@@lisztcompetition thank you so much!!!

[@federicozimerman8167]

The fugatto sounds like Piazzolla

[@bayreuth79]

I think that the underlying narrative of Liszt's B Minor Sonata is Goethe''s Faust. We hear Faust, Mephistopheles, and Gretchen (the the "slow" movement).

[@nicopohl2060]

I absolutely agree, Liszt was obsessed with Faust And his Devil. Are you willing to expand on this?

[@ilanrechtman7848]

A libretto? Where are the lyrics?

[@Cypsky]

Here you go : mmmmmmmmh mmmmmmmaaaaaghhahhaauuuuuuhhhuu

[@blobs5440]

@@Cypsky lol

[@ValzainLumivix]

@@Cypsky lmao

[@Cypsky]

@@ValzainLumivix 2 years later I’m still laughing at this :D

[@feliperodrigues554]

@@Cypsky 🤣

[@benharmonics]

3:19

[@AlbertoHeller1971]

A pitty Freud had no intimacy with music: this Sonata would have been a fantastic ouvre for analyse (also the connection between the themes: “Faust”, “Mephisto” and “Gretchen” are one and the same; aspects of oneness - or: there is a multiplicity in oneness)

[@michaelowens5394]

Doesn't anyone else find his playing rather sloppy?

[@matthewbrown1637]

Leslie Howard’s insight on KZbin on how to play this is much better, he actually plays what’s written and genuinely knows his stuff particularly with Liszt, this guy is way off from what Liszt intended 🤷‍♂️

[@ianpickett6497]

I think I might try the continual humming over the tricky bits, too!

[@radovanlorkovic3562]

There are points to understand Liszt as on of the early self-conscious bisexuals. He seduced them all his „friends“ at least emotionally. Where from would he else have his monumental self-assurance?

[@paulorcarro]

Os dejo la increíble versión de Sergei Yerokhin kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGbYfIKJmpJpr8k

[@radovanlorkovic3562]

Thank you for the inspiring rendering and performing this obviously great work, that to my understanding is trying to paint all the aspects of Liszts own life. A libretto to my opinion could go further into concrete aspects of his real life, of the contrasts of his childishly devoted religion to his overal sensuality letting convention behind. So seen, it seems to me that what you call a satanic theme can just as well be seen as the essence of his pious devorion to Christ. He wanted maybe to show, how close the contrasts of his life were near to each other. The sonata could be seen as a intimate confession, an excuse for what his conscience did not appove of.

[@amoryblaine2123]

Please be my teacher

[@hastensavoir7782]

I don’t get why Steinways are always used by pianists everywhere.

[@sethjeppson5680]

They are really good

[@hastensavoir7782]

Seth Jeppson so are Fazioli, Steingraeber, Mason & Hamlin, Petrof, August Förster, Sauter.

[@gjeacocke]

‘The satanic figure’ was behind jesus. But Jesus TRUSTED god and that is the key to dealing with this looming figure threatening to tempt you to do wrong. Sin is NOT trusting God and the ways to live demonstrated through Christ, the mediator.

[@pauchalo]

Good commentary but quite sloppy playing, much too fast, the singing underneath made it too much to listen to.

[@Cypsky]

yes the singing is so exhausting :D

[@StefandeJongTV]

Very sloppy but also very very loud ... hurts my ears.

[@majav15mg]

It’s not a performance... it’s kind of an informal video, probably without any warm-up. Cut the man some slack.

[@DJStefandeJong]

@@majav15mg it is an instructional video made by the Liszt competition that makes it in my book a very formal video. I don't mind a mistake or two, the videos with Leslie Howard aren't perfect either but they are so much better in every way (tonal quality even whilst it is just an instruction, better technical playing, more informative, etc.). And truly, I don't give a crap about perfect performances, but the fact this was absurdly sloppy and the playing very very loud just made this unbearable.

[@jenrose4177]

Was meant to be a commentary not a performance

[@rhook88]

Leslie Howard is far better in his explanation on this mammoth piece.

[@josephciolino2865]

This piece is so vastly over-rated that it is shocking. It is predictable, simplistic, overly melodramatic on a very superficial level, it fail to display any great compositional genius. Primarily it employs sequential repitition ad infinitum, and the so-called "development" or "transformation" of theme are silly and peurile. Most of the time the music wanders around with no purpose or goal except constant repition. You see how Mr. Rose struggles to say anything profound about any craftsmanship here. My God, there is more genius in one measure of a Chopin Ballade than in this entire work of sound and fury, signifying NOTHING. Noisy repititious junk. ok. let me have it.

[@KingstonCzajkowski]

I respect your opinion in disliking the piece, but I believe a few things you say are just wrong. For one, it certainly isn't predictable. Nobody who hasn't heard it could predict what theme Liszt was going to use next on their first listen. Also, I bet you haven't even noticed some of the transformations because they were so extreme you heard them as two different themes. There's a particularly beautiful one involving the second period of the second theme - I'll leave you to find it. Finally, the construction of the piece is quite innovative. Each individual movement is a mini-sonata within itself. You say that most of the time the music has no purpose, but each moment actually has two purposes, one functioning within the movement and one toward the piece as a whole. Even just finding where the divisions between movements in the sonata are is quite difficult. I think you're trying to find objective reasons against liking the piece where there isn't much of a claim to it. It's okay to dislike the piece for whatever reasons you have. And the guy in the video isn't very good at demonstrating the reasons to like it, in my opinion. Oh, and lastly, I'm glad you love the Chopin Ballades, they're some of my favorite works too.

[@josephciolino2865]

@@KingstonCzajkowski With all due respect, having gone through two higher degrees of musicology (I know, this sounds like an arguement from "authority" -- it isn't) I have read almost every major analysis of this work, and gone through it myself several times.I have not missed any "transformation of themes" -- they are just not that subtle. This is one of my most serious objections to LIszt's music in general: it is obvious and hence, predictable. Essentially, flash over substance. Enjoy.

[@KingstonCzajkowski]

​@@josephciolino2865 Fascinating. I would love to discuss this more but obviously it's quite difficult to make certain points through a computer screen. Thanks for your opinion.