In music critic Rich Atkinson’s blog post “Liszt: Virtuoso Pianist, Amateurish Composer,” Atkinson states that he does not really see the appeal of Liszt’s “B minor Sonata.” He mentions that other people argue that this piece shows “Liszt’s greatness” (Atkinson) and that it is a “…continuation of Beethoven’s tradition in the genre” (Atkinson). He explains that he doesn’t understand this opinion and he feels that the piece is nothing special. In addition, Atkinson compares it to Chopin and Schumann, and states that it does not have the “romantic originality” like their pieces do.

The “B minor Sonata” is about 32 minutes long; it almost sounds like several pieces put together into a compilation, with some parts being repeated. When I first started listening to it, I was honestly a bit bored and distracted. It starts out very slowly and sparse with tones. It did not draw me in at first. Around 3:40 I found that the piece was becoming more interesting; the first few seconds sounded familiar, but then the piece continued onto something else, and after a short while it was back to quiet and sparse notes. The dynamics are very varied in this piece, and I had to adjust the volume control at several occasions. Around 5:00 and 5:24 there are some very beautiful sections. There are some recurring themes that are heard throughout the piece.

The parts that are piano and pianissimo, like those around 7:23, are very pretty and romantic-sounding. Atkinson stated that this piece did not have “romantic originality,” but I think that they do. There are some really pretty and romantic parts, and they are recurring, so that is nice. However, the more intense fortissimo parts, such as those around 10:27, are a bit too intense for me, especially when he jumps so much between the different dynamics. In addition, when listening to this piece on headphones, I had to re-adjust the volume multiple times so that it would not be too loud at certain points, and then it was barely audible at other points.

Atkinson also argues that the “B minor Sonata” would be equal to Beethoven’s Op. 14 Sonatas, which he thinks are Beethoven’s “worst ones” (Atkinson). I listened to some of Beethoven’s Op. 14 Sonatas (as there seems to be several within in), and I do not see any major similarities; I think that Liszt’s “B minor Sonata” is a bit more advanced, and I do not think that it is a “bad” piece, although I have heard better pieces from that time period. I think it is the big dynamics/volume changes and the very sparse beginning that bother me the most. In addition, the piece is so lengthy, so when the parts with barely existent tones occur, it sort of stops the momentum of the song. My favorite parts of the song are the romantic and pretty piano sections that I previously mentioned.

Although Atkinson acknowledges that Liszt’s piece is very difficult to play, he does not consider it virtuosic. Certain sections do seem harder than others, but I agree that there seem to be many other pieces from this time period that are more virtuosic. Liszt himself, on the other hand, was a virtuoso even though he may not have been displaying his most advanced skills in this piece. However, not every piece has to be virtuosic and highly technical to be good. Some pieces are simple and can be good anyway. For example, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” is a very calm piece, and it is not fast with virtuosically difficult techniques. Nonetheless, it is composed very well, and it is one of the most well-known classical pieces. Beethoven himself was a virtuoso as well, and one of the most influential and well-known composers from the classical period. Both composers wrote interesting and fascinating pieces for many generations to enjoy.

Rich Atkinson’s blog page: http://richatkinson.blogspot.com/

Youtube clip of “B minor Sonata” by Liszt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCHE-UPwBJA