Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6

Franz Liszt (1811-86) never spent a great deal of time in Budapest or Hungary generally, though he remains her most lauded musical son. Most of his training took place in Vienna and Paris. Even later, when he helped launch the music academy that bears his name, he split his time between Budapest, teaching in Weimar, and convening with his Franciscan brothers in Rome (he had been ordained following the deaths of his children in 1859 and 1862). Liszt’s celebrated use of folk material has been a source of mixed praise. The gypsy tunes he borrowed were not so “folksy” or spontaneous as he imagined. Moreover, by conflating Tzigane (gypsy) style with the native Magyar (Hungarian) influences, he offended those who sought to define Hungarian national values in strict separation from the gypsy tradition.
Many people are not aware that Liszt wrote nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies; popular consumption seems content with the fantastic Rhapsody No. 2, made famous by Vladimir Horowitz, Chico Marx, and Bugs Bunny (whose long ears are brilliantly called into service during the skit). Upon closer inspection one discovers a trove of engaging pieces, ranging from lyrical to virtuosic. Rhapsody No. 6 tends toward the latter style, although the stately chordal opening gives little hint of the furious octave passages to come. Rather than proceeding in the typical slow-fast order, Liszt embeds a lyrical theme between faster material. The final section includes an infectious Allegro theme which builds—ever faster, it seems—to a thundering conclusion.

(c) Jason Stell