【匈牙利狂想曲-李斯特】

Liszt:Hungarian Rhapsody N.3 in D major

Liszt:Hungarian Rhapsody N.4 in D minor

The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R106, (French: Rapsodies hongroises, German: Ungarische Rhapsodien, Hungarian: Magyar rapszódiák) is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846-1853, and later in 1882 and 1885. Liszt additionally arranged versions for orchestra, piano duet and piano trio.

Form

Liszt incorporated many themes which he had heard in his native Hungary and which he believed to be folk music, though many were in fact tunes written by members of the Hungarian upper middle class[1], often played by Roma (Gypsy) bands. The large scale structure of each was influenced by the verbunkos, a Hungarian dance in several parts, each with a different tempo. Within this structure, Liszt preserved the two main structural elements of typical Gypsy improvisation—the lassan ("slow") and the friska ("fast"). At the same time, Liszt incorporates a number of effects unique to the sound of Gypsy bands, especially the pianistic quivalent of the cimbalom. He also makes much use of the Hungarian gypsy scale.[2]

 Extant versions

Numbers 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 14 were arranged for orchestra by Franz Doppler with revisions by Liszt himself. These orchestrations appear as S.359 in the Searle catalogue. However, the numbers given to these versions were different from their original numbers. The orchestral rhapsodies numbered 1-6 correspond to the piano solo versions numbered 14, 2, 6, 12, 5 and 9 respectively.In 1874, Liszt also arranged the same six rhapsodies for piano duet (S.621). In 1882 he made a piano duet arrangement of No. 16 (S.622), and in 1885 a piano duet version of No. 18 (S.623) and No. 19 (S.623a). Liszt also arranged No. 12 (S.379a) and No. 9 (S.379) for piano, violin and cello.Number 14 was also the basis of Liszt's Hungarian Fantasia for piano and orchestra, S.123. Some are better known than others, with number 2 being particularly famous. Numbers 10 and 6 are also well known.In their original piano form, the Hungarian Rhapsodies are noted for their difficulty (Liszt was a virtuoso pianist as well as a composer).

Horowitz and No. 19

The pianist Vladimir Horowitz had written his own piano transcription of the 19th Rhapsody, remarking to Thomas Frost that Liszt was "quite old" when he wrote it. To elaborate, Horowitz said that "it has wonderful ideas, but they are sketchy sometimes, not developed. That's why it needed to be transcribed." On the transcription itself, Horowitz mentions some "doubling and expanding" in the lassan section, while changing the form of the friska section, noting that Liszt "repeats the same thing," describing it as "a little bit naive."Another aspect of Horowitz's transcription was the ending, which he made "more brilliant...but not brilliancy for its own sake." In a fond remark of this Rhapsody, Horowitz also told Frost that:

It is rather bravura for the sake of the musical spirit of the piece. And very Hungarian, too. This rhapsody may not be as showy as its predecessors, but in my humble estimation it is more daring, more advanced harmonically and...difficult enough.

Horowitz gave live performances of this transcription several times during 1962.^[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Rhapsody