Liszt was active as a piano virtuoso and a highly skilled pianist. As such, it can be said that he was a pianist who not only composed a large number of piano pieces but also devoted great effort to reforming piano technique, thereby solidifying the foundation of piano performance. In the field of etudes, he left several brilliant works for concert performance, which are frequently played even today. These "Three Concert Etudes" differ from virtuoso etudes like the "Transcendental Etudes" or "Grand Etudes after Paganini," possessing a more salon-like character. They were composed around 1848.

No. 1 in A-flat Major, "Il lamento"

Following a brilliant introduction, an Allegro cantabile theme appears. This melody, with its melancholic expression, transforms in various ways, sometimes dramatically.

No. 2 in F Minor, "La leggerezza"

This piece also begins with an introduction, introducing an unstable melody in triplets. Later, this melody transforms into septuplets, gracefully traversing the keyboard.

No. 3 in D-flat Major, "Un sospiro"

Over an accompaniment of wide-ranging arpeggios, a sentimental and sweet melody sings. This melody is written to be played alternately by the right and left hands at the beginning, meaning that the left hand crosses over the right hand on each beat, making it a visually brilliant piece. A significant feature of this section is that it is written on a rare three-stave system to clearly distinguish the melody and accompaniment in the score. The middle section develops very dramatically, and in the recapitulation, both the right and left hands play arpeggiated chords, alternately picking out and sounding the melody notes that appear in the inner voices.