Hungarian Rhapsody No.9 – The Carnival At Pest – Liszt

Liszt’s ninth Rhapsody is the “Carnival at Pest” – one of the few Hungarian Rhapsodies to which he gave a name. Once again Liszt turns to Hungarian folk melodies and fuses them with improvisatory elements. The result is a dazzling virtuosic firework display. The relaxed atmosphere of a Budapest carnival around 1840 is brought to life – indeed Liszt is said to have recorded several themes when there. Accordingly, the work quickly found its way into European concert halls, and then into those around the world. To use Béla Bartok’s words, Liszt once again succeeds in creating a “work of perfect authenticity”.?