Csárdás (Liszt) Csárdás (Liszt) The three csárdás that Franz Liszt wrote in 1881-2 and 1884 are solo piano pieces based on the Hungarian dance form of the same name. Liszt treats the dance form itself much less freely than he did much earlier with the "verbunkos" in the Hungarian Rhapsodies, and the material itself remains more specifically Hungarian than gypsy in thematic material. Their spare lines, angular rhythms and advanced harmonies show these pieces to be direct ancestors of the compositions of Béla Bartók. Because of these attributes, the csárdás are considered by Liszt scholars among the more interesting of the composer's
Rhapsodies for Orchestra Rhapsodies for Orchestra Rhapsodies for Orchestra is a single-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was jointly commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and the BBC for the Philharmonic's European tour in August and September 2008. The piece had its world premiere August 28, 2008 in Royal Albert Hall at The Proms, with the New York Philharmonic performing under conductor Lorin Maazel. In approaching Stucky with the commission for a new piece, Maazel suggested to Stucky that the composition be "something rhapsodic". Stucky later wrote, "I ran to the dictionary for help. The more I thought