Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178/R.21Franz Liszt64rank/position
Liszt / Piano Sonata in B minor (Complete) / Performed by: Mamiko Tomari
A piano sonata published in 1854 and dedicated to Schumann.
Its musical ideas undergo intense transformations throughout, leading Schumann’s wife, Clara, to dismiss it as nothing more than “purposeless noise.” However, today it is a piece frequently performed by many distinguished pianists.
A choral symphony composed by Franz Liszt and premiered in 1857, it consists of three movements titled “Faust,” “Gretchen,” and “Mephistopheles.” Liszt was deeply captivated by Goethe’s Faust, which had been recommended to him by his friend, the composer Hector Berlioz—known for Symphonie fantastique—and he later produced multiple works based on this subject.
Franz Liszt was a composer who also achieved success as a pianist.
He is a towering figure in the piano repertoire and left behind many technically demanding pieces.
Among his works, the Mephisto Waltz is often cited as an unusual piano piece.
While it is basically tonal in the conventional sense, its introduction is particularly unique, and if you stumble in the repeated-chord passages, the performance quality drops sharply—making it a distinctively challenging work.
Mephisto Waltz No. 1: “Dance at the Village Inn”Franz Liszt68rank/position
Ryota Yamazaki / Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 “The Dance in the Village Inn,” S.514/R.181 (PTNA 2014 Competition National Finals / Special Class Grand Prix)
One of the difficult pieces lavishly packed with Liszt-like virtuosic techniques.
Mephisto plays a waltz on the violin, and people begin to dance.
Eventually, Mephisto finds a girl named Margarete and slips away with her into the forest.
The piece vividly depicts such scenes, with a nightingale singing in the night sky.
Rather than an elegant waltz, it brims with overwhelming energy—more a frenzy of ecstatic revelry—offering a piece where one can fully savor magnificent piano virtuosity.
La Campanella: Grandes études de PaganiniFranz Liszt69rank/position
La Campanella (Liszt)
“La Campanella” means “the little bell” in Italian.
The composer Liszt, impressed by the virtuosity of the genius violinist Paganini, composed it out of a desire to express similarly transcendental technique himself.
Romance, S.169, which Franz Liszt is said to have composed during a visit to Moscow.
Though it doesn’t use many notes, it’s quintessentially Liszt—combining romanticism, calm, and intensity—traits of a leading composer of the Romantic era.
Some may think, “I’ve never heard Liszt’s Romance,” but in fact it’s often programmed in concerts and is a favorite among piano enthusiasts.
Before tackling Liszt’s large-scale works, it’s a great piece to experience his world.
