This recording is very epic in my opinion. People may complain it lacks the authenticity and gypsy quality of Cziffra, but hey, you can't help being born Croatian and not Hungarian...

Rapsodie hongroise II is virtually Liszt’s best-known work and has been performed to great effect even by Bugs Bunny (Rhapsody Rabbit, Warner Bros., 1946) and by Tom and Jerry (Cat Concerto, MGM, 1946—Academy Award). It is the only one of the first fifteen rhapsodies not based on any earlier Liszt composition, and it is not known from where any of the themes originate. The very opening theme is noted in a Liszt sketchbook of 1846 as something he had heard performed, but the remainder of the material might well be original. The piece may date from as early as 1847, but it was not published until 1851. Towards the end of the fast section Liszt writes ‘cadenza ad libitum’, and many pianists have added their own improvisatory compositions at this point, notably Eugen d’Albert and Sergei Rachmaninov. In his last years, whilst giving his famous masterclasses, Liszt added a cadenza for Toni Raab, which is employed in this recording. (He also wrote her a new coda, and he wrote a whole series of extensions and elaborations for Lina Schmalhausen. At some point he also wrote an extension to the fermata in bar 84.) (Howard)

Pf: Goran Filipec

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