The dramatic is everywhere in Liszt’s life, not just his music. But you can still hear the theatricality in this piece, you can imagine him playing it live, his long hair dancing along with his hands as they moved rapidly up and down the piano. Liszt wrote Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 around the time of La Campanella, when he’d ended his rock star style touring and settled down to write some serious music. I love that something created purely for entertainment at the time, like those cartoons, incorporated this magnificent piece of music, written by a man who was himself seductively entertaining to all those who saw him. The cat fighting with me for space in front of the heater and a bowl of cornflakes and tinned pineapple crackling on the floor in front of me. Me, small and light limbed kneeling on the threadbare carpet in front of a giant television with legs in the frosty early morning. This piece now also makes me think of a lounge room from my childhood with vivid busy wallpaper. Watching them they still made me smile, Bugs Bunny probably the most, but then he always was my favourite. They’re all rather wonderful and a beautiful representation of the merging of art forms that are accessible to everyone, regardless of age. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry and many others all had episodes featuring Hungarian Rhapsody No2. But more likely it’s because it was used extensively in cartoons. There’s a rumour in my family that we’re descended from a gypsy princess, so perhaps there are some ancestral genes at work here. I was surprised when I first listened to this piece how familiar it was. And laughing too, laughing so hard there were tears. It feels like fun, like running about as a kid, running everywhere without thinking about it as exercise. But there’s a light, laughter-like component to this piece as well. There’s a definite hint of accordion-style melodies that evoke the images of bright colours and dancing. They’re heavily influenced by Hungarian Gypsy music, and it’s easy to hear. Hungarian-born Liszt wrote 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies (12 between 1847-51 and the rest 30 years later).
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