Description

The eighth Hungarian Rhapsody, released in 1853, explores themes that Liszt encountered during his trip to Hungary in 1846: a folk song, a popular dance melody of that era, and a csárdás. No. 8 is among the lesser-known Hungarian Rhapsodies. However, it merits rediscovery: the manner in which a variety of rhythms and harmonies, along with tempo shifts and rich ornamentation in the "style hongrois," are presented in a very concise format and effectively culminated by an intense Presto section – this exemplifies Liszt at his finest! While the slower sections necessitate a broad range of expressive and formative skills, the quicker sections require strength and endurance. Contributing to the Urtext edition, which for the first time considers all the available sources, are two distinguished Liszt scholars: Mária Eckhardt for the preface and Vincenzo Maltempo for the fingerings.