Liszt: 3 Petrarch Sonnets [From Years of Pilgrimage: Italy], S.161 (Tiempo, Chamayou)

The 3 Petrarch Sonnets appeared in their first versions in 1838; the forms they take in the Annees de Pelerinage were only established in 1858. It is clear that over that period Liszt's abilities as a composer had greatly matured; in their 1858 versions they are among the most compellingly lyrical piano works of the 19th century. In each one the harmonies are innovative, presaging impressionism at points, and the melodic lines are sleek and alluring.
Tiempo and Chamayou offer interpretations that demonstrate the breadth of interpretive possibility the Sonnets offer. Tiempo's playing is personal, and has a very Argerich-like impetuousness about it (he might have been influenced by his teacher in this; I really don't know). There are wild dynamic shifts and variegations of tempo scattered literally everywhere; it almost shouldn't work, but there is nothing self-indulgent about the playing, and the results come in the form of three fantasy-like, thrilling renditions. Chamayou's playing is far more restrained, even (to use an old-fashioned term) aristocratic. And yet his attention to careful phrasing (the melodic line is handled beautifully, and never comes close to breaking) makes for a very satisfying recording.
Tiempo:
00:00 - Sonnet No.47
05:48 - Sonnet No.104
11:33 - Sonnet No.123
Chamayou:
17:39 - Sonnet No.47
22:15 - Sonnet No.104
27:40 - Sonnet No.123

[@alexy6801]

Tiempo=Van Gogh. Chamayou=Manet Tiempo--chunky blots/brushstrokes of color: note the accented rolled chords on the upbeat starting m. 44 of No. 47. Of course No. 104 is an off the charts celebration of virtuosity. Expression created through attention to individual detail. Chamayou--gorgeous long belcanto style lines, clear distinction between foreground and background at all times, almost white spotlight effect on the melody: beautiful steely tone in RH contrasted with gurgling LH background starting m.29 of No. 104, especially well maintained through the hand crossings. Notice how Tiempo uses left hand figuration to propel dynamic changes and create tension/climaxes in mm 36-52 of No. 104 (booming bass notes, louder counterpoint), whereas Chamayou keeps LH much more subsidiary throughout. For me, the revelation is Chamayou's fluidity -- a greater feat given the the leaps, rhythmic gaps/displacements, and changing registers of Liszt's melodies--see the seamless introduction to No. 123. The drawback is perhaps a little too much pedal and too much smoothness in contrast to Tiempo's craggy drama.

[@NoahJohnson1810]

Listen to Chamayou's interpretations of Ravel - it's also rather overpedaled in my opinion. It's a pity, too, because he has such wonderful technique and I just love his interpretations.

[@gregoberski5897]

Just wanted to say "Tiempo's craggy drama" made me laugh :D

[@davidkingshorne9697]

Sonnetto no.104 is a supreme example of unrequited love and it is understandable that Lizt would not leave it alone. There is nothing more glorious by association than this heartbreaking piece of music. DK

[@treesny]

Chamayou's performance should be heard as intended, in the context of his recording of the complete Années de pèlerinage. The first Sonnet segues directly from the Bononcini Canzonetta -- and Chamayou is one of the few who does so, as Liszt clearly intended -- and is followed by the so-called "Dante Sonata." Both of these "bookends" deal in important ways with love, as do (of course) the Sonnets.

[@spiritualneutralist2597]

Why do people not realize that Liszt deserves rank of great composers? He was definitely not just a virtuoso.

[@luableah7615]

I believe he is the best composer for solo piano, although my favorite is Chopin.

[@raymondgood2359]

and are you aware of brahm's and clara schumann's opinion of liszt? to them and to me his music said little. brahms fell asleep while listening to liszt play for the first and only time!!

[@spiritualneutralist2597]

+raymond good Of course I am, however the piece that Brahms had fallen asleep to was one of the greatest piano sonatas since Beethoven.

[@EmilianoManna]

And Tchaikovsky fell asleep listening to a Brahms' work. Composers are bad judges of other composer's work :D

[@T0pel]

I will never be able to understand that, to me his music speaks volumes. He is my favorite composer. But I guess we are all different, it just seems so wierd to me that other people who listen to classical music don't have the same experience as I do.

[@equator2007]

For listeners curious about the literary inspirations for these works, the following translations may be of interest: Sonnet 47 Blest be the year, the month, the hour, the day, The season and the time, and point of space, And blest the beauteous country and the place Where first of two bright eyes I felt the sway: Blest the sweet pain of which I was the prey, When newly doom'd Love's sovereign law to embrace And blest the bow and shaft to which I trace, The wound that to my inmost heart found way: Blest be the ceaseless accents of my tongue, Unwearied breathing my loved lady's name: Blest my fond wishes, sighs, and tears, and pains: Blest be the lays in which her praise I sung, That on all sides acquired to her fair fame, And blest my thoughts! for o'er them all she reigns. - tr. Lady Dacre (Barbarina Ogle, 1768-1854) Sonnet 104 Warfare I cannot wage, yet know not peace; I fear, I hope, I burn, I freeze again; Mount to the skies, then bow to earth my face; Grasp the whole world, yet nothing can obtain. His prisoner Love nor frees, nor will detain; In toils he holds me not, nor will release; He slays me not, nor yet will he unchain; Nor joy allows, nor lets my sorrow cease. Sightless I see my fair; though mute, I mourn; I scorn existence, and yet court its stay; Detest myself, and for another burn; By grief I'm nurtured; and, though tearful, gay; Death I despise, and life alike I hate: Such, lady, dost thou make my wayward state! - tr. John Nott (1751-1825) Sonnet 123 Yes, I beheld on earth angelic grace, And charms divine which mortals rarely see, Such as both glad and pain the memory; Vain, light, unreal is all else I trace: Tears I saw shower'd from those fine eyes apace, Of which the sun ofttimes might envious be; Accents I heard sigh'd forth so movingly, As to stay floods, or mountains to displace. Love and good sense, firmness, with pity join'd And wailful grief, a sweeter concert made Than ever yet was pour'd on human ear: And heaven unto the music so inclined, That not a leaf was seen to stir the shade; Such melody had fraught the winds, the atmosphere. - tr. John Nott (1751-1825)

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

Ew, in Italian please.

[@MusicalSeriesChannel]

Thanks for posting.

[@franceskinskij]

you know......... translating literature from other countries never really works. It may with German and Russian literature still convey the messages but Italian? No grazie. Mi dispiace, sul serio, ma no.

[@equator2007]

@@franceskinskij For those who don't have any Italian and do read English, it's useful to have a sense of the general meaning and overall themes, even though from a literary standpoint the translation may not work well.

[@ottonormalo4638]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

My personal favourite is 123. I've learned 104 and, in this quarantine, intend to learn all three but, without a doubt, the final one is my favourite.

[@timward276]

Did you manage to learn 123? That's my favorite, too. The most beautiful melody of the three, IMHO.

[@lorenzovillani3102]

Liszt, the composer who, above all, manages to take the hearts of both the performer and the audience to the peaceful paradise

[@josipbosnjak6808]

You really are the Master of "description". You are one of the few youtubers that use it as it is meant to be used. Good job there :D

[@PieInTheSky9]

Could you imagine anyone but Liszt writing anything like this? These are so characteristic of his style! Very beautiful stuff. Would love to learn the second one, but man some of those runs and figurations look scary!

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

I have. They're easy. Don't be intimidated

[@bhsieh3537]

@@sebastian-benedictflore hey, any tips for the runs? I'm trying it right now

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

@@bhsieh3537 which one? 104? A bar/figure reference would also help. However, in general with liszt, I find fingerings can be kept simple, especially if you have big and/or nimble hands. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are very common. Keep in mind you might only have to do something simple like that (maybe even 1, 2, 3) simply because it's the same few notes repeated in 2 or 3 octaves. Whilst you want the proper posture for a nice big sound, be ready to keep your wrists or fingers a little high, light or round so that you can be agile. All a bit vague but I hope it helps. If there is a particular spot, I might be able to help?

[@bhsieh3537]

@@sebastian-benedictflore The 1st few bars, I cant reach the left hand what do I do?

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

@@bhsieh3537 oh. I assume you're talking about 104. Yeah sad. What's your reach? I can just about do the stretches when the chord is still (as in not very dynamic), as in, I can only just stretch some compound major thirds so, theoretically, it should be possible. I just tried and practised and eventually got it. Kept my thumb and 5th finger super stretched and elastic (vertically) for every "burst" of two chords. Then, I would let it relax and quickly stretch in preparation for the next chord (because there are rests). If you actually just can't stretch a compound third, split/arpeggiate the chord (play the bottom note first with 5 and then the top note with 1 as quickly as you can). You might even be able to hide the fact that you're splitting the chord if you play quickly enough. I'm no piano teacher but I can't just not help a fellow pianist xD. If you have a piano teacher, drop them an email or something but, I reckon, in general, what I've said is correct. Have fun with the piece. I had a lot of fun with it, especially the end :)

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

Not a single composer can express the intense sentiment of Love as well as Liszt.

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

Seems a pretty extreme view.

[@alanleoneldavid1787]

Check it out some donizietti

[@aphraxiaojun1145]

comments lkie this are sprinkled throughout every classical music video

[@marcorval]

Which in your opinion is Liszt's best "love" piece?

[@gergelykiss]

It is true that these three pieces were only published in 1858, but they had already reached their present form by 1849, right at the end of Liszt's touring rampage across Europe and just before he settled down in Weimar. Thank you so much for sharing these phenomenal recordings along with the sheet music - it is such a treat! Cheers!

[@sofiaefremenko3380]

Just read Petrarch's letter to Dionisio da Borgo San Sepolcro after ascending Mont Ventoux and this composition is matching it so perfectly.

[@parthoroy9141]

Sonatas on Sonettos, so beautiful. Thanks for posting, as always

[@michaelbrodsky1221]

Thank you very much. Your comments are very enlightening and beautifully written.

[@NoahJohnson1810]

Excellent performances. I have heard Chamayou (maybe my favorite interpretation) a lot, but was not familiar with Tiempo's exquisite interpretation. I love these pieces, thanks Ashish

[@MusicalSeriesChannel]

Very inspiring. Thank you!

[@paulhumphreys9847]

So unbelievably wonderful, just perfect in every way

[@renaissanceroberto8597]

Amen, Paul! I hate when people are so complex and "intellectual" in their reaction to great classical music like this. This music of Liszt is simply beautiful beyond words.

[@DritteKlavier]

So beautiful! Quasi improvisation spontaneously blended into the poetic imagination! One high pinnacle piano music.

[@giobrach]

*XLVII.* Benedetto sia 'l giorno, e 'l mese, e l'anno, e la stagione, e 'l tempo, e l'ora, e 'l punto, e 'l bel paese, e 'l loco ov'io fui giunto da' duo begli occhi che legato m'hanno; e benedetto il primo dolce affanno ch'i'ebbi ad esser con Amor congiunto, e l'arco, e le saette ond'i' fui punto, e le piaghe che 'nfin al cor mi vanno. Benedette le voci tante ch'io chiamando il nome de mia donna ho sparte, e i sospiri, e le lagrime, e 'l desio; e benedette sian tutte le carte ov'io fama l'acquisto, e 'l pensier mio, ch'è sol di lei, sì ch'altra non v'ha parte. *CIV.* Pace non trovo, et non ò da far guerra; e temo, et spero; et ardo, et son un ghiaccio; et volo sopra ’l cielo, et giaccio in terra; et nulla stringo, et tutto ’l mondo abbraccio. Tal m’à in pregion, che non m’apre né serra, né per suo mi riten né scioglie il laccio; et non m’ancide Amore, et non mi sferra, né mi vuol vivo, né mi trae d’impaccio. Veggio senza occhi, et non ò lingua et grido; et bramo di perir, et cheggio aita; et ò in odio me stesso, et amo altrui. Pascomi di dolor, piangendo rido; egualmente mi spiace morte et vita: in questo stato son, donna, per voi. *CXXIII.* I’ vidi in terra angelici costumi et celesti bellezze al mondo sole, tal che di rimembrar mi giova et dole, ché quant’io miro par sogni, ombre et fumi; et vidi lagrimar que’ duo bei lumi, ch’àn fatto mille volte invidia al sole; et udí’ sospirando dir parole che farian gire i monti et stare i fiumi. Amor, Senno, Valor, Pietate, et Doglia facean piangendo un piú dolce concento d’ogni altro che nel mondo udir si soglia; ed era il cielo a l’armonia sí intento che non se vedea in ramo mover foglia, tanta dolcezza avea pien l’aere e ’l vento.

[@ruramikael]

Please check out the original versions, they are very similar to the final versions. Liszt only replaced the introduction of No 104. It is important to emphasize that Liszt wrote this music already in the 1830s, ten years after Beethoven passed away!

[@charlescxgo7629]

You mean he did this while Chopin was alive?

[@ruramikael]

Yes, 1838-1839.

[@MathieuPrevot]

​@@charlescxgo7629 Actually Liszt wrote those not so much after if not while Chopin wrote his Études ! The first set of Études was published in 1833, although some had been written as early as 1829. Op25 was published in 1838.

[@bozzigmupp510]

Where can you find the original versions of these?

[@ruramikael]

@@bozzigmupp510 IMSLP

[@Erolon]

Tiempo's playing in No. 104 is so virtuosic it sounds almost sped up at times.

[@KMusic_13]

That run at 8:30 is absolutely insane.

[@josephf151]

It would neat to see a video of such a run at that speed.

[@Kris9kris]

@@KMusic_13 You could potentially split it into two hands. Notice the abrupt stop at the G sharp/B sharp third, it's either a position change or a split. Impossible to decide.

[@pian1sticpeng_in]

10:50 Debussy-like run. Real nice....

[@ruramikael]

And whatabout 4:00?

[@linettemarie1104]

Grandeur et élégante tout est juste Tout y est magnifiques

[@carmen6169]

Gracias 😁 por subirla ,la encontré ,pero suponía que a nadie se iba a interesar. Buendia

[@Dachion]

....only recently have i begun to understand music like this in conformitude of mutual maturity.

[@andrewgrebenisan6141]

I love when Liszt is interrupted by the sweetness of stevia leaves >:(

[@classicalmusiccanchangethe2757]

Wonderfull...

[@anaterezanogueirasalem2016]

Gratidão ETERNA...

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

El tiempo y la interpretación ,es como me la enseñaron que exelencia. 🧨🧨🧨🧨🥇 🇮🇷 👋👋👋👋👋

[@alberto798]

The second sonetto

[@neilkilleen3911]

I have looked at the earlier solo versions (as well as the original song settings). I really don't like them much compared with the 1858 settings which are just perfect in every way. You can see the way he took the best, discarded the stuff that really didn't work and enhanced. I am currently learning these. I have fiddled about with them for decades but finally really decided to see if I could learn them. 47 is 90% in my natural technique, 104 90% outside and 123 somewhere in between. I have recorded 47 and 104. 104 took me 3 months of playing pretty much nothing else (but it is so gorgeous I never got bored). My cadenzas are serviceable if not sparkling. I am going to put some more work into it and see if I can crank them up a notch ( they are tough). 123 is coming along ok - it's very delicate and in some ways that is the greatest challenge (although there are some more difficult sections that are virtuosic to negotiate)

[@epileptiquitopark7971]

Deepest layer in the piano beauty ocean

[@lukecash3500]

For me, Sofronitsky's interpretation of the 3rd Petrarch Sonnet, Sonnet 123, is definitive, but that either of these even give him a run for his money is really saying something. You could hardly be asking for more perfect bel canto or for trickier rubato, it's like Liszt wants you to languidly paint pools of water. So many performers you listen to, you're left thinking "this section is rushed, this section drags on, I can't hear the bell tones in the upper register, the inner voices aren't singing", and with neither of these performances am I left wanting in any of those areas.

[@Flobert97]

True beauty! 28:40

[@wumisuzume]

Really deep music...

[@christianvennemann9008]

8:28 I guess Tiempo decided to play that B-flat an octave lower. Not complaining. It's just an interesting decision.

[@sriramramamurthy4006]

Frequently done in these type of pieces, and it works well.

[@joe-nf8go]

Sonnet 104 is possibly the most beautiful piece ever

[@isaiah1156]

6:53 sounds like lady bird by Tadd Dameron

[@fatimacanche9081]

Que belleza 3sonetos de Petarca ,Lizst se ispiro por la peregrinacion de este gran poeta ,es maravillosa su poesia. El que mas me gusta es el dedicado a Beatriz ,a una de mis hijas la bautice con este nombre . Gracias ,un feliz dia

[@lukasmiller486]

Has anyone here listened to the 1938 versions, Ashish mentioned in the commentary?There’s a great recording of Jue Wang playing them. Yes, some of Liszt’s early drafts were diamonds in the rough but I don’t see how you could say that about these. To my ears, they are every bit as carefully and meticulously made as the second version. There are a few differences in the filigree and accompaniment passages but there’s not THAT much of a difference.

[@Balakirev_]

Herrlich

[@jackjackk9894]

No.104 ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@abirdthatflew]

So delicate and fragile, deeply intimate, and for me, surprisingly personal. Few composers had this IMO, Bach, Schubert, can't think of anyone else right now. Schumann's Langsam getragen from the Fantasie in C. Do I hear any bids... ?

[@sethjeppson5680]

Im not sure if this is what you mean, but I feel that liszts music evokes emotions that no other composer does.

[@Jake-fy5rs]

Composers from as far as America had travelled to consult their compositions with Franz Liszt. Please read their journal entries, which are available online. From where do people obtain such notions that Liszt is not among the rank of our world's greatest composers?

[@tigerboom9030]

I guess cause he was forgotten quite quickly after his death...

[@chicken_eater1007]

Because normies are too busy complaining that la Campanella is too hard or something

[@charliegold3227]

@@tigerboom9030he wasn’t just forgotten. The Wagner family actively tried to destroy Liszts legacy

[@tomekkobialka]

At 14:33 I was convinced that Liszt was about to lead into "One Day I'll Fly Away".

[@sandercouck8454]

Moulin Rouge…

[@bozzigmupp510]

I think it sounds like ”My way” by Frank sinatra

[@Schubertd960]

24:29 how glorious

[@alexanderbayramov2626]

4:26 seems like Scriabin has similar passages in 2nd part of 4th sonata

[@edoardopresicce5666]

8:12 ❣

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

Lo guardo hay pocas grabaciones.

[@aronlescsinszky1127]

Hey friend, can you tell me the name of the sheets’ type? Most of your videos have the same, it is soo good!

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

If I recall correctly this is from the Neue Liszt-Ausgabe. It's a pretty recent edition; the complete Liszt works, published in the 1970s(?).

[@nicol8282]

Hey, do you know where I can get the NLA as a book non virtual?

[@AshishXiangyiKumar]

Boosey and Hawkes will probably have it. It's usually listed under Editio Musica Budapest.

[@nicol8282]

Sorry, but they have listed a lot of Liszt complete editions. Is it this one? www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Liszt-Franz-Complete-Edition-1-4-Hardback/643556

[@ruramikael]

Editio Musica Budapest is the one to go for, it is still work in progress.

[@Park-bq3mu]

8:32 pIANIST RIP

[@bozzigmupp510]

What exact piece from the Italy collection are the revised version of these found?

[@jerry_moo]

These pieces are arrangements of Liszt's own songs (S. 270), and are in fact, a reworking of an earlier, more virtuosic transcription (S. 158). So it's safe to say that these are the final versions.

[@steverahmooni4042]

My God! the comments section in this page is from another universe ...should not come as a surprise though! this is how artists, sophisticated and educated people should be I guess

[@tigerboom9030]

Yet it is full... with... uhm... snobs. Like in other classical pieces...

[@tigerboom9030]

@freedomisnocrime ty

[@pablofeynman3619]

@@tigerboom9030 There aren’t any snobs here just people probably making comments above your level of expertise

[@tigerboom9030]

@@pablofeynman3619 people actually flame each other for what magjificent wad liszt oe whether he is the greatest or not. There are snobs. Sorry to offended.

[@pablofeynman3619]

@@tigerboom9030 You are right. I am sorry I misunderstood

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

E l. 104. Gran imtefñftacion. 🇮🇷 ✅.

[@user-mc1co5hg9n]

Blest be the day, and blest the month, the year, The spring, the hour, the very moment blest, The lovely scene, the spot, where first oppress’d I sunk, of two bright eyes the prisoner: And blest the first soft pang, to me most dear, Which thrill’d my heart, when Love became its guest; And blest the bow, the shafts which pierced my breast, And even the wounds, which bosom’d thence I bear. Blest too the strains which, pour’d through glade and grove, Have made the woodlands echo with her name; The sighs, the tears, the languishment, the love: And blest those sonnets, sources of my fame; And blest that thought-Oh! never to remove! Which turns to her alone, from her alone which came.

[@calebhu6383]

29:37

[@TheTaimory1]

13:23 to 13:26 I have heard this before but I can't pin point which piece! Does anyone know?

[@thegreenpianist7683]

Sounds a bit similar to Liszt's Romance (the very first theme right before the cadence to E minor and similar parts)

[@TheTaimory1]

It does sound like the romance but I am referring to another piece, perhaps it is Scriabin or Rach, cannot recall.

[@thegreenpianist7683]

Frédéric François Chopin there must be many, it's literally like 5 notes haha

[@TheTaimory1]

I guess so.

[@stonefish7745]

Die zelle en nonnenwerth

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

Que pena !!¡! Un anuncio interrumpe Soneto de Petrarca. 😭😭😭😭

[@conman0414]

What makes the run at 8:59 sound so sinister? It sounds like a chromatic mediant progression to me, but I'm not sure.

[@gergelykiss]

Yes, it is a chromatic mediant progression: e-minor shifting to c-minor - with some tasty non-harmonic notes in those wondrous right hand 32nd runs. It is not just the notes though, anyone can juxtapose two distant chords - it's the ability to invoke that uncanny, sinister atmosphere that makes a composer a true great. :)

[@nicholasmerino9608]

This is tuxedo without his mask!

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

3. Sonetos de Petrarca. Italia y Nápoles. ?

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

🇮🇷. Exelen ,,!!!!!

[@randomcubing7106]

Name a more iconic trio: Lizst, Rachmaninoff, Chopin

[@sethjeppson5680]

My favorites for sure!!!

[@alexanderbayramov2626]

what about Scriabin though

[@randomcubing7106]

@@alexanderbayramov2626 Scriabin doesn't really fit into their style. His style speaks on his own and really stands out as well

[@williamfeng9808]

What about brahms

[@idiman5553]

33:21

[@mazeppa1231]

What I don't understand about Liszt is why he never made transcriptions of his own operatic versions of the three petrarch sonnets for solo piano? Liszt's opera versions of these pieces are far superior than those here in the annees pelerinage.

[@treesny]

Odd comment. Liszt set the three Petrarch sonnets as songs for tenor and piano -- the phrases "operatic versions"/"opera versions" is very misleading, they're SONGS -- and later made two distinct versions of the material for piano solo, the second of which he incorporated into Year Two: Italy of the Years of Pilgrimage. These piano-only versions ARE in fact transcriptions (and elaborations) of the voice & piano originals, similar to what he did with his three Dreams of Love. Later still he made a new version of the three songs for low voice -- baritone in "Pace non trovo," baritone or mezzo-soprano in the other two -- with piano; again, not a note-to-note transcription of the tenor originals, but a re-imagining many years on, far more reflective and spare than first version. (Baritones unfortunately sometimes perform the tenor versions transposed down, which to my ears never really sounds right.) "Transcription" in Liszt's music, whether of his own works or those of others, is a highly elastic term. What version we prefer is entirely a personal matter. Thank you.

[@mazeppa1231]

@@treesny Hi, I've just read my comment again, and you're right, it's a weird comment... "Opera versions" ?? I have no idea what was I even writing 3 years ago, I mean wow. I must have been sleeping at the wheel because that's such an odd comment, like you said. Haha!! You're right, they're songs, and nothing to do with opera. Admittedly at the time, I loved the later songs that Liszt made for these pieces, but after revisiting these works recently, I've grown a fonder love of them after finding a new interpretation with these pieces. :) That aside, thanks for your input, even though I made such a silly comment years ago. I must've gotten confused at the time, I don't know.

[@nezkeys79]

38 - 44 sounds so difficult to play

[@vincentedelmond5404]

In general I dont like Liszt but these Sonnets are a masterpiece I always say if Liszt got just 10% of Chopin or Schubert musical creativity he will be considered the best piano composer of all time

[@Kalimaco]

Claudio Arrau is the best performer of Liszt ...

[@alexrode7858]

It was an honor playing 104. Liszt, who, in my mind, is second only to Rachmaninoff.

[@TheTaimory1]

Feel free to enjoy Rachmaninoff over Liszt but there is no denying Liszt was, is, and will always be musically greater. Only Chopin and Liszt are the fathers of the piano, the madmen reigning towers of music who blessed this earth like no one before or after them. Every single composer after those two had been extremely influenced by them. Notice that they are the only true innovators, other composers recycle Liszt and Chopin's work. If you do not believe me, Listen to Ravel, Debussy and Rach very carefully and you will spot it for yourself. Debussy used dissonance in a line which already had dissonance, this is the claire de lune (Chopin already did it in his op 27 no 2). Ravel's Jeux d'eau has to have been inspired by Liszt's Les jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este, there is no denying it. Also, Une Barque sur l'Ocean by ravel and Debussy’s Reflets Dans L'eau. Rachmaninoff has too many to name. I love Rachmaninoff too though ! :)

[@arastoomii4305]

Frédéric François Chopin you have a very materialistic view of music, listen to hummel, kalkbrenner and others to see how chopin and liszt weren't original either.

[@MathieuPrevot]

@@TheTaimory1 From your point of view (fathers), one should aknowledge Beethoven being the grandfather, esp. with his Op. 106 for the romanticism roots (Adagio), and Op111 which rejoins Liszt's spiritual compositions. Liszt's sonata can also be seen as a response to Beethoven's Sonatas, esp. the 111, which was signing the end of the classical sonata, some sort of goodbye and will-testament.

[@r0mmm]

@@MathieuPrevot I agree, but in my opinion is J.S. Bach the father of the basics of nearly every Keyboard Instrument. Im not a big fan of bach or the baroque in general, but you need to agree, If I say that Bach was a HUGE infulence to Chopin, Beethoven and even Liszt

[@chateauferret]

I;m not sure Liszt scored advertisements to break in and shout over the middle of his second Petrarch sonnet. I understand that channel owners decide on advertising placement and I won't be watching any video, or advertisement, that does this.

[@p-y8210]

Then you don't understand the labels decide the ad placement. The channel has nothing to do with the ads. And you should have an adblocker if you hate ads.

[@philipcai9499]

I feel this was just one of Liszt's shameless midlife indulgences. Gorgeous dulcet melodies, breathtaking colour-changes in the harmony, a twinkling upper register that sounds like its tickling the heavens, and absolutely packed to the brim with suspensions and augmented chords - but no real structure or clear line of development. He repeats the same music in a more and more over-embellished way, complete with unnecessary arpeggios and lingering pauses...it's no wonder Brahms and Liszt didn't get along

[@kellikim3850]

aren't chopin's nocturnes just like that?

[@philipcai9499]

Yes, I'm not so fond of those either

[@RedZed1974]

I feel like we're hearing from a staunch Germanic fan. With your YT name, I imagine you'd take Brahms, Offenbach, Kreisler, Berlioz and the like over the deep, sentimental Romantics in general?

[@philipcai9499]

that's a perceptive remark, although at the time of making that comment I think my YT-name was still my actual real life name. You're not wrong, though - my favourites are Bach and Mozart

[@RedZed1974]

They are masters of unspeakable beauty in structure. Brahms and Wagner leave me dumbstruck but I also love some syrupy chromatic indulgences, too. :)

[@andrewlee1336]

sickening amount of rubato

[@kitbuiz]

Tiempo plays completely without observing the meter and rhythm, as he wishes, and not as the composer wrote. Disgusting.

[@treesny]

Thank you! Really loses the shape of the musical rhetoric. Many beautiful "local" effects, but little overall sense of shape. Apart from everything else, even though Liszt elaborated greatly from the voice-and-piano originals, these pieces remain sonnets, i.e. poems with a firm sense of form (even though we no longer hear the words): not fantasies or free paraphrases. The profound passion is contained within, and articulated by, the sense of a clearly-defined musical entity. A great actor can make their personal mark with a Shakespeare sonnet without destroying the meter of the verse, and a great pianist can do the same with these sublime pieces without willfull distortion of the musical line.

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

No me gusta.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

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