If there is an element in common to the Liszt Sonata and the Debussy Preludes it's the enigmatic character of both.The fact that the Sonata begins and ends with a single note, figuratively speaking, already opens the door to questions, as does the particular configuration of the themes. Both features successfully capture our intrigue and open up a discussion that leaves us begging for answers.Our desire for them, however, will never be met even with the “Grandioso” theme that, at first, seems to be a demonstration of positivity, confidence, strength and energetic expansion but then ends with the stark contrast between two opposing elements,namely “male authoritativeness” and “female pleading”, which cause a further delay in the integration of the different forces in play.The rest of the time the Sonata offers the listener all possible transformations of a few main themes (numbering 3 or 4, depending on which expert you talk to) which impart a great amount of variety to the “dialog”.Lizst's metamorphic ability consists precisely in his talent for giving the same expertly-composed themes the character and qualities of being soul opposites, even grotesquely so, and in stressing a world view where, depending on the context, everything can be transformed into its contrary.From this flows a constant sequence of dark situations alternating with expressions of a strong desire for good all of which is stated with a rhetoric of superior quality.Only at the end of this work, at the end of an epic conflict between demonic forces and a longing for love in all its alluring forms, are these contrasts overcome, perhaps only apparently (and the last note leaves us in doubt ), in the final three chords, six-four dominant in B major, as if in contemplation of a much desired and heavenly but still untraveled promised land.Entering the world of Debussy to discover velvet sounds, to peer through its play of shadow and light and witness the enchantment of magical situations that he is so good at creating, is always a fascinating experience.“Fascination” or “visions” are the words that best express Debussy's world and that describe his music and its typical enigmatic character.Contrary to Liszt, Debussy gives back the humility and immediacy that musical language had gradually lost throughout the 1800s.Behind Debussy's language we don't find any sublime thoughts, excess of or exasperated emotions. Rather, everything is brought back to a new relationship with the mystery of sound and nature.Even when it seems that he's pointed his music to go in a certain direction it doesn't indicate an accurate imitation or a description of a real thing. Instead, he manages to capture the essence of what is behind the physical by apparently very simple means.The first thing that strikes us in listening to a work by Debussy is the quality of the sound. The properties of sound become a subject of investigation in a manner that Chopin had already explored in his day.However, with Debussy everything is freed from sentimental interference. This is made possible by the use of ancient modalities and five and six tone scales tracing back to the Eastern tradition.In fact, while tonal harmony is that universe of possibilities and relationships that best manages to arouse the widest range of psychological possibilities in the listener, modal harmony, with its sense of suspense, immediately shifts the center of attention from the individual to the cosmos and its mysteries.Tonal harmony is present in Debussy's work only in a few transition points of the compositional structure that mark the end of major passages or moments of grand expressiveness.The rest of the time Debussy's sounds remain suspended as if weightless, creating that typical aura of magic in which the slightest change immediately takes on great importance.