How to Play Franz Liszt’s B Minor Sonata—for Solo Violin!
200th anniversary of Liszt’s birth brings his B minor Sonata for piano to the adventurous violinist
For more than 150 years, countless pianists have labored over Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, S. 178, giving it their hearts and souls. Often hailed as the greatest piano sonata after Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, this masterpiece of the Romantic era has been featured on dozens of recordings and in numerous recitals. With such a rich tradition, another performance on September 10 at the 2011 Ravinia Festival would hardly deserve a special mention, except that it will be a world premiere of a new version for solo violin played by the fearless virtuoso Giora Schmidt.
Solo violin? Liszt? Are you out of your mind?
Those who know me as a composer teased that I was wasting my time arranging Liszt when I could have written my own violin sonata. Others, who have heard me perform the B minor Sonata on the piano, were puzzled by my betrayal as a string arranger.
In addition, the new solo violin version was described by violinists as the most difficult piece ever written. Upon seeing the score, Itzhak Perlman called it “too difficult”; Gidon Kremer said it was a “crazy idea, but I like crazy ideas”; Joshua Bell found it “intriguing”; and Ruggiero Ricci said, “At first I thought you must be insane, but at a closer look I must express my admiration. It is very violinistic, and I look forward to hearing it recorded.”
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