Liszt’s most important piano work was written in 1853, during a time of great compositional productivity and at the same time as the Ballade in B minor. It has something in common with the latter work: the ending that just fades away. The fascinating, greatly revised autograph – available from Henle as a facsimile edition HN 3203 – testifies to the intensity of the compositional process. The sonata, dedicated to Robert Schumann, is one of the most frequently played piano works of all, as shown by the concert programmes and also the very large number of recordings.