Hearing the Unseen: How to Tell the Difference Between Pianists’ Interpretations of Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor
Xinyue2025-02-14T12:54:42+00:00Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor (1853) is one of the most enigmatic and monumental works in the piano repertoire. Its single-movement structure—spanning moments of relentless virtuosity, profound lyricism, and spiritual transcendence—challenges both pianist and listener. More than just a technical tour de force, the piece is an interpretive battlefield, a mirror reflecting each pianist’s artistic personality. While the notes remain the same, the experience of listening can be vastly different depending on the performer. To understand how interpretation shapes the sonata’s impact, we compare four legendary pianists—Vladimir Horowitz, Martha Argerich, Sviatoslav Richter, and Krystian Zimerman—who each take us on a [...]