《Hungarian Dance No.2》

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Brahms is a German composer. The Hungarian Dances is a set of 21 lively dance tunes. Besides number 11, 14 and 16 dances being entirely new compositions, the themes for the other dances were largely based upon actual Hungarian folk tunes. Brahms originally wrote the version for piano four-hands and later arranged the first 10 dances for solo piano. The first 10 dances were published in 1869, while 11-21 were published in 1880. Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor and composer. He made a virtuosic transcription for violin and piano of all 21 of Brahm’s Hungarian Dances. His transcriptions combine Hungarian folk music with stylistically Gypsy music. The rhythm is very free, and full of extreme fluctuations in tempo and rich in ornaments. The bold and unconstrained character of the music leaves one with an indelible impression.