# Favourite Liszt works?



## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

On a different note to my other Liszt thread here, i'm wondering what all your favourite works by Liszt are?

Mine are many of the usual suspects, like the Sonata (my all time favourite), some TE's 9-12, many of the Annees, etc. I won't mention them and the other more familiar and obvious selections here, but rather my favourites among his more obscure works i've really gotten into and discovered the magic of lately.

Some of these are...

Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam: This work is pretty much to the organ repertoire as the Sonata is for the piano repertoire. The piano is my favourite means of expression and Busoni transcribed it for solo piano, which to me is Liszt's second greatest solo piano work, and that is what I have linked. Here it is for organ.

Mosonyis Grabgeleit: So powerful, dark, despairing. One of his finest late works.

Trauervorspiel und Trauermarsch: See MG above.

Mephisto Waltz No. 2: Absolutely diabolical, but very beautiful too.

Csárdás macabre: Same as the 2nd Mephisto. Simply amazing stuff.

Variations on a theme from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen: Absolute masterpiece. It took me awhile to even consider this piece worth listening to. It just annoyed me for awhile. But now...wow.

Am Rhein, im schönen Strome: One of his finest transcriptions of his own songs. Beautiful piece.

Among others. What are all yours? BTW I realise I only mentioned piano (and one organ) works. This thread is not limited to piano works, though.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I love the design of the Sonata, the three traditional movements of a piano sonata connected to also sound like a one movement sonata form. It's like sonataception.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Piano Concerto No. 2 and Annees de Pelerinage. I find the Piano Sonata a tough nut to crack for some reason.


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## Lipatti (Oct 9, 2010)

My favourites would probably have to be the sonata, Anées de pèlerinage and Harmonies poétiques et religiuese, so nothing unusual there. Lately I've also started to grow very fond of some of his songs.


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

I blogged on Liszt last year, with illustrations:
http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/435-better-late-than-never.html

Also, one of my Liszt "guilty pleasures" are his many "opera transcriptions"
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL54A69DC1F135492C


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I suppose the sonata and the 2nd year of pilgrimage top my list, but my favorite _title_ is the Lugubrious Gondola. My mind generates a series of possibilities, none of which work.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Goodness gracious me, you're at it again!!!


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

A really unfair question because I don't know any Liszt works I do not like. I am somewhat ambivalent about the tone poems however. (That's going to really annoy Schlitzian I can tell you!}
Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree) 12 pieces for two pianos. Reminiscences de "La Juive" (Halevy) Legendes: 1 St.Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds. 2. St.Francis of Paul walking on the water. Rapsodie Espagnole. Tannhauser Overture paraphrase Soirees Musicales (after Rossini). Hungarian Rhapsody for violin and Orchestra . Wanderer Fantasia (Schubert arr.Liszt) for piano and orchestra. Hungarian Historical Portraits. the Piano Sonata of course.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Sonata, Anées de pèlerinage, Harmonies poétiques et religiuese, Faust Symphony, PCs 1 & 2.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

*Franz Liszt* ( 22 October 1811 - 31 July 1886 )


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I like all of Liszt's works except his orchestral music, but the high points for me are:

Christus
Requiem (Messe des morts) 
Via crucis (Les 14 stations de la croix) 
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses
Années de pèlerinage
Consolations 
Piano Sonata in B Minor
Beethoven transcriptions
Schubert transcriptions
Hungarian Rhapsodies


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I haven't listened to that much Liszt but I'm a fan of several pieces on SanAntone's list. And the insane Dance Macabre transcription.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

The Faust Symphony
Piano Concerto No. 1


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Faust Symphony
Heroide funebre
Les Préludes
À la Chapelle Sixtine, for orchestra
His various works for piano and orchestra
Missa Choralis
Missa Coronationalis
Fantasy on 'Ad nos' for organ
Fantasy on B-A-C-H, for organ
Piano Sonata
Mephisto Waltzes
Trois odes funebres
Harmonies poetiques et religieuses
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Annees de pelerinage
Consolations
Études d'exécution transcendante
Grandes études de Paganini


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

some of my favourites were composed by Franz Liszt.

Les Préludes
Faust Symphony
Piano Concertos 1, 2, and 3.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Most of my favourites are mentioned above, but I'd add the 12 Transcendental Etudes and the Bagatelle sans Tonalité.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

the nationalist and philosophical symphonic poems, a form he mastered before other composers. My favorites:

Hunnerschlacht, Battle of the Huns

Hungaria

From the Cradle to the Grave

Les Preludes

Mazeppa

Die Ideale, Ideals

What One Hears On the Mountain


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

I like most of Liszt's solo piano music, but most especially _Années de pèlerinage_. The Romantic Movement's concepts of travel and wandering interest me.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

I prefer his piano music. My absolute favorites are:
*Piano Sonata
Annees de Pelerinage
Transcendental Etudes
Beethoven's Symphonies transcriptions
Piano concertos
Totentanz*


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## musichal (Oct 17, 2020)

Beethoven Transcriptions
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Sonata in B Minor
Piano Concertos
Three Nocturnes
Venezia E Napoli


not ranked by order


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My favorite Liszt works:

Annees de Pelerinage
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Christus
Late piano works


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Totentanz and the first piano concerto.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Beethoven Transcriptions are pure genius!


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Beethoven Transcriptions are pure genius!


So are his Bach transcriptions.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

consuono said:


> So are his Bach transcriptions.


I'll have to take a listen.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Gaspard de la Nuit
Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-tunes, S123
Sardanapalo
Années de Pèlerinage


In no particular order


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Kilgore Trout (Feb 26, 2014)

Rogerx said:


> Gaspard de la Nuit


Wait, what?

*insert more caracters here*


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