Caroline Sageman - Liszt

Composed at Weimar between 1849 and 1853 and performed in public for the first time by Hans von Bulow, Liszt’s son-in-law, in 1857, this astonishing "sonata" is a monumental work. Its breadth, its highly original means serving an exuberant imagination, the generosity of its melodic invention, the daring and freedom of its harmonic system, rhythm and construction bear the stamp of a great creator at the height of his art. In this vast keyboard poem, written by a prodigious virtuoso, the romantic style is carried to extremes, featuring dynamic contrasts requiring an unprecedented technique and innovatory postures. Neither its dediicatee Robert Schumann, whose mind was gravely impaired, nor Clara, nor Brahms (for whom Liszt played his Sonata at Weimar) appreciated this masterful composition, the most prophetic of all. Yet Wagner loved it right away: "The Sonata is beautiful beyond expression, as noble, profound and sublime as you are; I am stirred to the very depths of my being."

1. Sonate en si minuer

2. Vallee d'Obermann

3. Reve d'amour

4. Saint-Francois de Paule marchant sur les flots

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