Liszt’s brilliant young pupil, and pianist and composer, Hans Von Bronsart (1820-1913),
heard Liszt play his Sonata at the Altenburg in July 1855, presumably the above
performance of 21 July 1855, and wrote in the ‘Neue Zeitschrift für Musik:
‘In regard to its self-stipulated form and development, this is one of the singular events of
modern times, as if it were a continuation of Beethoven’s late period sonatas, a work to
consider as a new beginning for the Sonata.’
In April 1855 Bülow played the Sonata for Liszt, probably for the first time. Liszt wrote
to Richard Pohl the next day:
‘Büow played several pieces for me quite wonderfully, among other things my polonaises
and the Sonata.’
In January 1857 Liszt could only get about on crutches owing to painful boils on his feet.
He managed to get to the Weimar Theatre on 7 January 1857 to conduct the first
performance of his second piano concerto in A major with the twenty-seven year old
Hans von Bronsart as soloist. Liszt was very much attached to Bronsart whom he called
Hans II (Bülow being Hans I). Bronsart and Bülow were the same age and were close
friends. The second concerto is more of a tone poem in style, is less classical in form,
and uses the principle of thematic transformation to an even greater extent than the first
concerto does. Liszt at first called it ‘Concert Symphonique’ perhaps to emphasise its
dramatic orchestral passages.
Liszt’s painful and disabling condition prevented him from travelling to Berlin to be
present at the official première of the Sonata which was given by Bülow on 22 January
1857 at the Englischen Haus Hotel in Berlin. The première took place at one of three
soirées to introduce new piano trios by César Franck and Volkmann to the Berlin public
and to christen Carl Bechstein’s first grand piano. Apart from Bülow’s personal
connection with Liszt it may be that Bülow was chosen to première the Sonata to lend it
the authority of his intellectual ability and stature.
After the concert Bülow reported that Liszt ally and composer Felix Draeseke praised
both the Sonata and Bülow’s performance. Bülow wrote the next day to Liszt: ‘I am
writing to you the day after a great day. Yesterday evening I played your Sonata for the
first time before the Berlin public, which applauded me heartily and called me back.’
The newspaper reviews of the Sonata itself were somewhat mixed.
Liszt’s long time loyal friend Franz (Karl) Brendel noted in the ‘Neue Zeitschrift für
Musik’ of 30 January 1857 that a new sonata of Liszt had been performed, describing the
work as being ‘in manuscript’. This description is puzzling as Louis Köhler of the same
newspaper had reviewed the Sonata after receiving a printed copy from Liszt in July 1854
following on its publication by Breitkopf & Härtel.