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 arou...