Liszt: Sonata in B minor played by Alfred Cortot

A legendary sonata played by a legendary pianist.
This might be a bit of a controversial recording - It is quite different to modern recordings, and what we are used to. I personally think this difference makes it a bit more "fresh", even though it is one of the earliest recordings of this piece, and of course I love Cortot's musicality. I hope you can enjoy it too!
Recorded March 13, 1929

[@user-po8cg5kp9f]

This recording and other from similar period, show that Cortot not only was a great musician but also a men of astonishing technique. A lot of people think very badly about his technique, because of his very late recordings when he was out of shape. No one can play like him, great pianist and human being!

[@classicallpvault8251]

Not just a great technique but a great pair of balls to take a risky but musically superior approach to the most difficult passages of all of the works he played. The absolute top of his technique is the recordings of Saint-Saëns' 'Etude en forme de valse' it took 99 years for a pianist to dare a similar approach in a recording session with the same piece - Bertrand Chamayou. Cortot in his prime was technically superior to Horowitz, Cziffra, or Rudolf Serkin.

[@gadielvalverde2096]

Great! Thanks for sharing

[@lisztferencz8207]

I played this for young Johannes Brahms and he fell asleep. Might as well have been a Lullaby.

[@AlexanderArsov]

No wonder young Johannes fell asleep. The Sonata was way over his head.

[@arnoldschoenberg8656]

based brahms

[@IanMatthewGray]

Thank you, really lovely turns throughout. Beautiful tone, to be sure. There's also something very convincing he's doing to the bass in general. Thoughtful conception, I like it. I suppose some will get on him about the technical faults but it's really quite winning, I think, especially in the ending. The little gust of holy spirit he endows the penultimate B-major 6/4 chord with is really quite properly wonderful.

[@M.Arsenault]

It's hard to blame him for the faults, it was played all at once in with only a few takes. I suppose one doesn't listen to Cortot for his technique anyway.

[@IanMatthewGray]

@@M.Arsenault Quite so.

[@phillipgoldstein599]

I have never been prouder.

[@grandegiancarlo]

Thanks for sharing It with the sheet music! Greetings from Italy.

[@benharmonics]

22:11-25:42

[@billjurgenson6267]

love it but then I like Cortot anyway. So much better than most of the Liszt b minor to found here. Some lik eBrendel absolutely unacceptable. OTOH, Yuja Wang from a different universe.

[@ruramikael]

I don't think it is controversial, it shares many features with Friedheim's piano roll,

[@WBensburg]

What's happening @16:30 (and subsequent measures)? It sounds like he had some bottom note of the piano tuned to a low F# (3 half steps down from A, the lowest note on the piano). Or, is he playing the F# with the low A quietly?

[@WBensburg]

Could this have been recorded on a Bösendorfer Imperial?

[@M.Arsenault]

I think it's with the low A, when playing so low on the keyboard it's hard to tell

[@AlexanderArsov]

Fascinating! Am no fan of Cortot, and think he is overrated in general, often the subject of adulation his recordings cannot support. But when he is good, he is really, really good. He is here. For all of his notorious idiosyncracies and sheer sloppiness, he makes so much more sense of the Sonata than the young virtuosos of today, trudging their way without rhyme or reason through one of the greatest masterpieces ever created. Cortot brings power, poetry, personality, everything that should be there in performance but usually isn't.

[@Bake_and_Stutter_Gal]

What a showoff! And no, I'm not jealous.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Hope your wife was. 🤣

[@BBB-hi4hc]

Ignorant

[@gilbertobrandina9487]

I will try listening to it later (its a monster one must not listen in a hurry), but for sure it must be interesting. Cortot was a pupil of Eugen d'Albert, who was pupil to Franz Liszt himself, so I dare say he has more knowledge about that song than most pianists.

[@frankromano9064]

Song!!?? It is a Sonata...

[@gilbertobrandina9487]

​@@frankromano9064Oh, it's captain obvious. You say that because the title is Liszt Sonata in B minor? wow, your parents must be proud of you! don't forget to pin the star badge!

[@frankromano9064]

@@gilbertobrandina9487 Thanks for pointing that out, a Sonata really? I thought it was a song...

[@gilbertobrandina9487]

@@frankromano9064 I could care less what you think. Have someone else told you to F* off today or it's my privilege?

[@konigstephan]

Work, piece, composition, pages - you're spoilt for choice. Calling everything a ''song'' won't cut it. No lyrics, not a SONG. Simple...