Piano Sonata in B minor (Liszt) Puns

This week's featured piece is Franz Liszt's Piano Sonata in B Minor, as nominated by /u/TheLameloid.

To nominate a future Piece of the Week, simply leave a comment in this week's nomination thread.

A list of previous Pieces of the Week can be found here.

Performances:

• Spotify - Here's a playlist with several different recordings of the work, with performers including Krystian Zimerman, Maurizio Pollini, Jorge Bolet, Yundi Li, Claudio Arrau, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Martha Argerich, Minoru Nojima, Van Cliburn, Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Horowitz, Yuja Wang, Hélène Grimaud, Arthur Rubinstein, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and many more.
• YouTube - André Laplante (with score)
• YouTube - Marc-André Hamelin
• YouTube - Yundi Li
• YouTube - Maurizio Pollini - alternative link here
• YouTube - Vladimir Horowitz
• YouTube - Yuja Wang
• YouTube - Georges Cziffra
• YouTube - Van Cliburn
• YouTube - Nelson Freire
• YouTube - Sviatoslav Richter
• YouTube - Martha Argerich
• YouTube - Ivo Pogorelich
• YouTube - Georges Cziffra
• YouTube - Garrick Ohlsson
• YouTube - Hélène Grimaud
• And so on

More information:

• Scores - Scores for the work can be found here on IMSLP.
• Wikipedia page for Liszt
• Wikipedia page for the work
• [P

I'm aware of the complications of formally analyzing the piece -- whether to view the "sonata-over-sonata form" as Charles Rosen put it sonata-form movement or 3 or 4 consecutive movements, blah blah blah, the works.

My question has to do very specifically with the exposition of the themes. I see it said quite often that "all the thematic material for the entire piece is exposed [at the very beginning/on the first page/in the first minute]". Using this recording for reference: the "three themes" are usually identified as follows - the "descending Gm theme", 0:00-0:20; the "diminished 7 theme", 0:58-1:07; and the third theme that I don't have a cutesy nickname for, 1:08-1:13. And I can sort of see how the rest of the piece can be traced back to those 3 ideas analytically, and how through drastic transformation and transition they can be turned into so many ideas that are all different enough to keep the piece from becoming boring.

However, I can't for the life of me figure out where the D major theme at 3:40 comes from. As far as I'm concerned, it's a new theme -- the second group of the sonata's exposition. My keyboard literature professor insists that it comes from one of the opening three themes, but I struggle to see how.

Can somebody here weigh in on this? Is it new thematic material? And if not, I'd really appreciate an explanation of the transformation from whichever theme it started off as.

Thanks in advance!

If someone doesn't agree, tell me which is the best for him 👀👀

https://imgur.com/gallery/kEetoqE

This is the modulation between the first and second movement (depending on how you interpret it) on Liszt's sonata in B minor. How would you describe the modulation? Specifically

• Is the modulation done using pivot chords, or some other way (if so, what?)
• Would you describe the modulation as being from e minor to f# major, or from e minor -> f minor -> g# minor, or something else?
• What would you name the second chord of bar 331 (the one that is enharmonically equivalent to c7)

I want to hear some other input so I know I'm on track lol.

Score - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pkJyEdLkr2Ye3PBBoBdqq3u7ZAeQG6ig/view?usp=sharing

Audio - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n3hKb2HAC_sS54PI6sujQ35EZpWvT8cb/view?usp=sharing

please give feedback

Disclaimer: I have been playing piano for close to a year now, and have absolutely no doubt that this piece is way beyond me. I have no intention of playing it anytime in the near (or possibly even remote) future. I just want some tips and suggestions.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'll mention my level. In the past year(ish) I've learned 3 of Chopin's Nocturnes, Liszt's 3rd Consolation, and part of Claire De Lune. I already have a strong foundation in some basic theory, can read sheet music comfortably, and have decent technique.

Now to the question : having recently gotten more into piano, I would like to sketch a (long-term meaning ~10+years) timeframe of repertoire that would be a good workup to it, and if anyone here can suggest good preparatory pieces for it.

So teachers/people who've learned/played it, what are some suggestions that you have? What did you learn first? How did you attack such a lengthy piece? What pitfalls did you encounter? What suggestions would you have given the younger you?

Thanks to all who respond.

I've memorized the sound of Liszt's Sonata in B minor and have played through it a few times. It's a mind-blowing composition in many aspects, and with the way Zimerman and Laplante play it, hearing it seems to never get old; each time it almost gets better. I have the habit of thinking I'll never find another piece so great, one that I would give a critical 95% or higher.

So I am dying to know: what pieces do you feel that nothing could match their beauty, that leave you in awe, and may have inspired you deeply? The structure, the profundity of emotion, a specific interpretation and performance of any piece, etc. What pieces have made you reflect on your life?

Beethoven's Waldstein is sumptuous and emotional but in my opinion not nearly as impactful. Ravel's Gaspard or Daphnis et Chloe, or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

I know I'm most likely limited in my selection, considering I was shown Liszt's Sonata in B minor by a friend only a year and a half ago.

What makes this piece so special? I've heard that this is one of the greatest romantic pieces ever written and that it took Krystian Zimerman had to take A LOT of tries to get a recording he was satisfied with