The Sonata in B minor undoubtedly is the most important piano composition by Franz Liszt and a pinnacle of piano literature. The creation of the work around 1850 coincides with the period in which Liszt concentrated on the organ and its possibilities of sound and expression as well as on the music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Liszt composed several works for organ himself and arranged both some of his own works and works by other composers for this versatile instrument.
While working on the arrangement, Andreas Rothkopf acted on the maxim to stay close to the original work with its finely nuanced texture and find his own tonal language appropriate for the organ on the basis of Liszt. For a better understanding of the arrangement, the interpreter may want to have a profound knowledge of the original piano text.
