Franz Liszt; Robert Schumann - Piano Sonatas (Lazar Berman)

Information

Composer: Franz Liszt; Robert Schumann

• Schumann - Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 11
• Schumann - Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
• Liszt - Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178

Lazar Berman, piano

Date: 1976; 1975 / 2013

Label: Melodiya

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Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a prolific 19th-century Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, and music teacher. Liszt gained renown in Europe for his virtuosic skill as a pianist and in the 1840s he was considered to be the greatest pianist of all time. As a composer, Liszt was one of the most prominent composers of the "New German School". Some of his most notable musical contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form, and making radical departures in harmony.

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Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, and left an array of acclaimed music in virtually all the forms then known. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra; many Lieder (songs for voice and piano); four symphonies; an opera; and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, and died in 1856 without having recovered from his illness.

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Lazar Berman (26 February 1930 – 6 February 2005) was a Soviet-Russian classical pianist renowned for his exceptional technique and interpretations of Romantic composers, particularly Liszt, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. A musical prodigy, he began performing publicly at age four and studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Alexander Goldenweiser. After winning international piano competition prizes in 1956, his international career was interrupted by Soviet travel restrictions. His reputation grew significantly following his successful return to international touring in the 1970s. From 1990, he settled in Italy.

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