A Friend in a Friendly Key
Listening to less demanding pieces can be just as rewarding as listening to the big, famous, impossible-to-play compositions. This sonatina by Pleyel speaks to my heart because it feels like a friend I can get drunk with or tell my darkest thoughts to without being analysed, criticised, or judged. I am not afraid of him, but I respect him, and I like that I can feel at ease in his company.
Liszt, on the other hand, is a different story. I know his music is difficult to play, and I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge the technical demands, but was all that really necessary? Sometimes I listen to his compositions and wonder whether the piano owes him money. Flashy, pompous, an awful lot of fingers flying about, and for what? I know he probably had thirteen fingers, but come on, Franz!
I'm not trying to drag the man to the ground, and I'm sure plenty of people get enormous pleasure from playing and listening to his music. I simply don't find the same beauty in it that I find in Pleyel. Give me a sonatina that makes me feel at home over a musical obstacle course any day.