Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Historic Music
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8m 39s
Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody in a classic orchestral arrangement by Karl Müller-Berghaus from 1870, and recorded by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1936. This was the first record my father ever purchased, in a record store in Brooklyn in 1937. It came in a plain brown paper envelope and cost one dollar, more that $20 in the 21st century. Collecting records was a somewhat expensive hobby for a 19-year-old listener in those days!
The rhapsody was originally written as a bravura work for piano solo by Liszt in 1847. It’s popularity was immediate and enormous, and has been ever since. It has been arranged countless times. This arrangement for orchestra by Karl Müller was recorded by Stokowski and the Philadelphians in 1936. It’s still an exciting performance even today.
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