Changes in Style

Concerto no.2 has fewer virtuosos than Concerto no.

1. However it is more original since it is closely linked to Liszt’s symphonic poem style. The First Concerto is a showpiece of talent and originality. Liszt uses less of octave scales in the Second Concerto. He prefers the piano accompanying wood wind instruments and string instruments.

As for the solo, it does not in any way play a dominant part to the main theme. The soloist’s role is to bring variations through the various thematic transformations in the composition. There are pauses and periods of silence that help bring the element of musical transition. The changes in style are as a result of Franz Liszt’s interaction with different composers and pianists. He picked the variations from his original works, transcriptions and paraphrases from the works of other composers. As he was a widely travelled man, Liszt used his ingenuity by incorporating the styles used on other compositions he came across.

He did this without making his pieces lose the touch associated with compositions of his time. He borrowed from the works of Berlioz, Beethoven and Schubert for instance and combined these with his own.