Ungarische Zigeunerweisen

Ungarische Zigeunerweisen

Ungarische Zigeunerweisen (Konzert im ungarischen Styl), Hungarian Gypsy Melodies (Concerto in the Hungarian Style), is a single-movement work for piano and orchestra of about 17 minutes' duration by Sophie Menter (a renowned pianist in her day, Franz Liszt's favourite female student, and a composer of salon trifles). The work was written in 1885 (with possible help from Liszt), was orchestrated by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892, and first performed by Menter (with Tchaikovsky conducting) in 1893.

The work is listed in Liszt's catalogue as S.714 (recently renumbered as S.126a) on account of his possible involvement. It is not known whether Tchaikovsky played any part in the actual composition, but towards the coda there is a harmonic sequence very familiar from Tchaikovsky's concertos.

Read more about Ungarische Zigeunerweisen:  History, Unlikely Theory, Substance, Structure, Place in The Repertoire, Recordings, See Also