Hungarian Brass-sody
Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was composed in 1851 for solo piano. The "No. 2" refers to its place in the series of nineteen rhapsodies that Liszt wrote between 1846-1853. The pieces were inspired by Hungarian folk melodies that Liszt collected in the 1840's, as part of his surprisingly little time in his homeland. Franz Liszt loved his native Hungary, even though he did not spend much time there and didn't speak the Hungarian language very well. We would never guess this, listening to his music today. A few of the Hungarian Rhapsodies were arranged for orchestra, including No. 2.
James Kazik arranged the piece for four trombones, and this recording can be found on
Joseph Alessi's album, "Slide Partners," released in 2011. He plays alongside
David Finlayson, Amanda Davidson, and James Markey for this piece, and the four players show true virtuosity on the instrument. Quite a feat when one considers the amount of fingers needed to play the original piece!
Virtuosic and exciting, yes. But is Lizst's masterpiece Better in Brass?
That's for you to decide.
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