

Technicalities duly noted and certainly not ignored, it is the interpretation of ‘Un Sospiro’ that can be as much of a task to succeed with as the other elements. They are not an easy and careful observation of the fingering is advised. These are momentary, virtuosic flurries that Liszt would have dazzled his audience by playing now give that chance to 21st-century performers. That said, Liszt offers the pianist ample opportunity for display in the mini-cadenzas that act as links between the sections. The drama is an integral part of the other technical demands that sometimes are overlooked in favor of pure speed. This is especially true when you consider the tempo marking as ‘Allegro affettuoso’ coupled with the direction of ‘agitato’ or agitated. Perhaps more than this is the knowledge that Liszt felt strongly that his music should be performed.Ī genuine display of theatrics would not have been uncommon if you had attended a concert by the composer. In some editions, the notation includes a third staff where notes that have stems down are for the left-hand and stems up for the right-hand.īesides, the melody flows from one hand to another creating another technical challenge as ensuring the accents, dynamics, and phrasing of the melodic line are consistent is no elementary task. What this means is that often the right hand of the pianist plays down to the bass notes and in turn, the left-hand crosses over the right hand to play the higher notes of the piano. ‘Un Sospiro’ Liszt wrote to challenge pianists with the technique known as ‘cross-hands’. An étude or study is a piece that is composed with the specific intention of addressing a particular aspect of technique. We learn more about the piece when we consider the reasons why Liszt wrote it. The dedication Liszt makes is to his uncle Eduard Liszt. ‘Un Sospiro’ is the third piece in Liszt’s set of Concert Études that were originally published under the more inspired title ‘Trois Caprices Poetiques’. It is a poetic piece the kind that Liszt creates so well although essentially it is a concert study. It was composed between 18 but according to many sources, Liszt did not give the title to the piece himself even though it is rather fitting. The piece under the spotlight here is Franz Liszt’s ‘Un Sospiro’ or a sigh.
