Liszt / Horowitz - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Artem Tereshchenko)

Ukrainian pianist Artem Tereshchenko performs Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, by Ferenc Liszt (1811-1886), arranged by Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989). The Hungarian-born composer and pianist Ferenc Liszt was strongly influenced by the music heard in his youth, particularly Hungarian folk music, with its unique gypsy scale, rhythmic spontaneity and direct, seductive expression. These elements would eventually play a significant role in Liszt’s compositions. Although this prolific composer’s works are highly varied in style, a relatively large part of his output is nationalistic in character, the Hungarian Rhapsodies being an ideal example. Composed in 1847 and dedicated to Count László Teleki, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was an immediate success. Offering an outstanding contrast to the serious and dramatic lassan, the following friska holds enormous appeal for audiences, with its simple alternating tonic and dominant harmonization, its energetic, toe-tapping rhyt