Franz Liszt

This work is the most famous from Liszt's set of fourteen pieces called Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, (Poetic and Religious Harmonies). He wrote it as a lament for three patriots killed in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49 (Liszt considered himself a Hungarian, and the spirit of a funeral march pervades the work. It is full of striking fanfares and powerful clashing harmonies, evoking a dramatically somber mood. There are two enormous climaxes that remind some listeners of the central section of Chopin's A-flat Polonaise Op. 53, and likewise requiring powerful left-hand octaves. Beyond these there is little else of the virtuosic technique usually evident in Liszt's piano works.

-- Steven Coburn